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Director of the documentary “Americonned”, Sean Claffey, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the story behind the film and what went into making it. Claffey also talked about the importance of Chris Smalls and what his struggles have meant to the labor movement in America.
The documentary was filmed over four years, following Chris Smalls in his journey to organize at Amazon. The film crew shot in 23 states and traveled over 3,200 miles throughout the pandemic to capture the content for the documentary. Claffey found his inspiration for the documentary from the decline of unions and the middle class. He believed that if he could share the story of Chris Smalls, he could inspire more union sentiment and help rebuild the path to the middle class.
Chris Smalls was fired by Amazon during an organizing effort to unionize his local warehouse. Despite Amazon spending over $20 million on union-busting efforts, Smalls was still able to successfully organize the warehouse. The organizing efforts were documented by Claffey and his team, during which they experienced some union-busting activities. Claffey discussed some of the more shocking incidents that you can also see in the film.
What Chris Smalls went through in his organizing efforts at Amazon is a modern day example of David versus Goliath, Claffey said. People like Smalls deserve all the support of the labor movement, because their ability to stay and fight for what they believe in drives others to support their cause. Claffey hopes that “Americonned” will help drive the labor movement forward in America.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
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