Union

Union

100' 2024
dir.: Stephen Maing, Brett Story

Unionists vs. the corporation. Can Amazon be defeated by handing out free joints to workers?

Stephen Maing is no stranger to tackling tough subjects. His previous film, "Crime and Punishment" (2018 WATCH DOCS Competition), exposed corruption within the New York Police Department. In his latest documentary, he turns his lens to Amazon’s working conditions, focusing on one of the company’s massive warehouses at New York's JFK Airport, where employees embark on a daunting mission: forming a trade union in a corporation notorious for its harsh treatment of workers. The film’s central figure is an unconventional leader, Chris Smalls, who exudes the swagger of a gangster from a hip-hop music video. To sway the undecided, he hands out marijuana. Amazon's management, however, doesn’t sit idly by—hidden cameras reveal the manipulative tactics used to undermine the union effort. As the harsh New York winter approaches, the question looms: will the activists succeed in rallying the warehouse workers to take a chance?

Konrad Wirkowski

Festivals
2024 Sundance (Winner: U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for the Art of Change)
2024 CPH:DOX
2024 New York FF
2024 Sheffield DocFest
2024 Hot Docs
2024 Visions du Réel
2024 DokuFest
Tickets and passes
100' 2024 USA
Director
Stephen Maing, Brett Story
Cinematography
Martin Dicicco, Stephen Maing
Editing
Blair McLendon, Malika Zouhali-Worrall, Stephen Maing
Production
Anoonymous Content, Field of Vision, Impact Partners, Level Ground
Screenings