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.