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‘Union Town’ movie review: A thorough exploration of workers’ salvation
Barbara Kopple’s *Union Town* examines unionisation efforts among UPS, Amazon and gig-delivery workers, focusing particularly on the Teamsters’ campaign for a new contract in 2023. The documentary connects present-day labour disputes with Kopple’s earlier film *Harlan County, USA*, while exploring corporate exploitation, workplace mistreatment, striking and disagreements within the union movement.
The review praises the film’s access to workers and its unflinching portrayal of financial insecurity, harassment, discrimination and companies’ alleged exploitation of delivery drivers, including misleading tipping practices. However, it argues that the documentary’s broad scope weakens its pace and focus, while internal disagreements over wages and negotiations are not fully developed; its reliance on events from 2023 and 2024 also leaves it partly out of date and without a definitive conclusion.
In short
- Kopple examines delivery workers’ unionisation battles.
- The film exposes exploitation, discrimination and workplace insecurity.
- Its wide scope and outdated timeline weaken its impact.
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The case for
The film’s broad view makes a compelling case that workers facing insecure pay, mistreatment and opaque company practices need collective bargaining to gain leverage and improve conditions. By connecting current organising efforts with earlier labour struggles and showing workers’ own experiences, it gives human weight to the argument that unions can offer a path to dignity and greater security.
The case against
A sceptical view is that the film’s wide scope and emphasis on corporate conduct may leave too little room to examine the difficult choices unions face over wages, negotiations and strategy. Its reliance on events from 2023 and 2024, alongside an inconclusive ending, may also limit how well it explains what organising achieved or how relevant its account remains.
Explained simply
UPS and Amazon employ large numbers of delivery workers, while gig-delivery drivers often work without the same employment arrangements as company staff. Workers in these jobs have organised through unions to seek better pay and conditions, though the aims and methods of union campaigns can differ.
The Teamsters is one of the main US unions representing workers in transport and delivery. Its 2023 campaign for a new UPS contract took place amid wider debates about job security, workplace treatment and how much influence workers should have in negotiations. Barbara Kopple’s earlier documentary Harlan County, USA also followed workers organising and striking, linking these campaigns to a longer history of labour disputes.