Chris Smalls

Chris Smalls, founder of the Amazon Labor Union, shares his journey from being fired for advocating COVID-19 safety to leading a historic unionization effort. Mars Verrone, a filmmaker and musician, discusses his documentary that chronicles these struggles. Together, they highlight the immense challenges of organizing against Amazon's corporate power and emphasize the significance of collective action and worker solidarity. The conversation reflects on the emotional victories at JFK8 and the importance of May Day in the ongoing fight for labor rights.

Award-winning documentary filmmakers Brett Story and Stephen Maing, along with Chris Smalls, president of Amazon Labor Union, join Ken to discuss their film 'Union'. The documentary follows the grassroots labor movement to unionize Amazon's largest fulfillment center in NYC. The guests talk about the challenges faced by the union, their effective efforts to galvanize Amazon workers, and the creative collaboration between the two acclaimed filmmakers. They also discuss the choice of observational documentary style, the balancing of external input within the union, and the gap between media headlines and real experiences.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis amps up his beef with Disney, Ronny Chieng questions New Yorkers about Earth Day, and Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls sits down with Trevor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices