A group of fulfilment centre workers take the fight to Amazon, becoming the first unionised Amazon workplace in the United States.

On April 1, 2022, a group of workers made history by becoming the first unionised Amazon workplace in the United States. UNION takes us inside this momentous David and Goliath labour struggle in searing cinema vérité. We follow workers at an Amazon fulfilment centre in Staten Island as they tirelessly fight to establish a union, while one of the most powerful, exploitative corporations in the world pulls out every dirty trick to stop them. Formed by Christian Smalls after he was fired for protesting Amazon’s improper safety protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Amazon Labour Union (ALU) was set up with no prior organising experience, no institutional backing, and a grassroots budget raised on GoFundMe. As difficult battles emerge one after another, interpersonal tensions build and the exhaustion of workplace organising runs high – but what seemed impossible lies within reach. This is the story of ALU’s victory against all odds.

CONTENT NOTES: Discussion of death (COVID*), homelessness, gender discrimination, police brutality, racism, murder. Depiction of police brutality/violent arrest.

ACCESS NOTES: Significant pacemaking and storytelling through on-screen text. Primarily bright imagery, with some dull scenes. Occasional overlapping dialogue.

Screening as part of #TOAFF25