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Oscar Winner Barbara Kopple On ‘Union Town,’ Her Third Towering Film On American Labor – Camden Film Festival
Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple has premiered her third major film on American labour, Union Town, which follows workers fighting for better wages and conditions at three New York City employers: UPS, Amazon, and food delivery apps such as DoorDash. The film comes at a time when union membership in America has halved over four decades, yet Kopple expresses hope that labour organisers remain committed to improving working conditions despite formidable challenges.
The documentary covers three distinct groups, with food delivery workers—known as "deliveristas"—facing particularly dire circumstances, working year-round in all weather conditions for minimal pay and unreliable tips. The film includes the tragic story of Victor Hidalgo, a 24-year-old delivery worker killed in 2024 when struck by a New York Fire Department vehicle, and highlights systemic issues such as DoorDash's 2025 settlement of nearly $17 million after the company was accused of misappropriating workers' tips that customers believed would benefit delivery drivers directly.
In short
- Kopple's new labour documentary follows workers at UPS, Amazon and delivery apps
- Union participation in America has dropped roughly 50% in four decades
- Deliveristas face worst pay, conditions; documentary includes tragic 2024 death case
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The film’s focus on organising makes a strong case that collective bargaining can give workers more influence over pay, safety and predictable conditions, especially when individual workers have little power in precarious jobs. Its account of delivery workers’ exposure to danger and unstable earnings also supports the view that stronger protections and accountability are needed as work changes.
The case against
A thoughtful counterargument is that union campaigns and stricter employment rules can bring costs and constraints that employers may pass on through higher prices, fewer opportunities or reduced flexibility. Some workers may prefer the independence of app-based work, so reforms should preserve that choice while addressing clear abuses and safety risks.
Explained simply
Trade unions represent workers in negotiations with employers over matters such as pay, hours and safety. In the United States, union membership has fallen substantially over several decades, while workers in different industries have continued to organise around workplace conditions.
New York’s delivery workers, often called deliveristas, carry food ordered through apps such as DoorDash, while UPS and Amazon employ large numbers of warehouse and delivery staff. App-based work can involve uncertain earnings and limited protections, and workers’ campaigns have raised questions about how pay, tips and safety are handled.
These issues matter because they affect workers’ income, security and ability to influence conditions on the job. Organising efforts also involve employers, customers and policymakers in debates about how work should be regulated.
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