October 21, 2024 — The Rebirth of America’s Labor Movement: Amazon Labor Union (ALU) and the Future

Event description promotion featuring headshots of three women and one man juxtaposed against a red background

Corporate consolidation in the United States, court decisions limiting the rights of workers, and the role of Amazon in the global economy have become ever pressing issues. With the upcoming Presidential election, there has been renewed interest and discussion surrounding organizing strategies and union support across the country, and the role of government and specifically anti-trust legislation.

Watch leaders on the forefront of labor rights in the United States in conversation about one of the largest union victories in a generation and whether it marks a resurgence of labor in the United States and around the world.

Featuring:

Julie Su, Acting Secretary of Labor, US Department of Labor
Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL–CIO
Brett Story and Stephen Maing, Co-Directors of UNION
Marshall Ganz (Moderator), Rita E. Hauser Senior Lecturer in Leadership, Organizing, and Civil Society, Kennedy School of Government

This discussion was spurred by the release of the new, Sundance award-winning documentary film UNION, which follows the formation of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU)—a group of current and former Amazon workers in New York City’s Staten Island—as they take on one of the world’s largest and most powerful companies in the fight to unionize. Chronicling the historic efforts of the ALU, the film is an intimate and surprising story of dogged determination, unorthodox tactics, and speaking up despite David vs. Goliath odds. Both of the film’s co-directors join this panel discussion.

Organized by the Shorenstein Center’s DFPI program at the Kennedy Forum, co–sponsored by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School and the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School.

Take Action Now