Books and films

Help Wanted

Every day at 3:55 a.m., members of Team Movement clock in for their shift at big-box store Town Square in a small upstate New York town. Under the eyes of a self-absorbed and barely competent boss, they empty the day’s truck of merchandise, stock the shelves, and scatter before the store opens and customers arrive.

People, Power, Change: Organizing for Democratic Renewal

At a moment in which our everyday practice of democracy has atrophied, and political, economic, and technological forces have weakened our capacity for collective action, People, Power, Change is a once-in-a-generation book for anyone who wants to create real and lasting change. Marshall Ganz is one of the world’s leading authorities on democratic…

The Empty Chair

A documentary chronicling the Starbucks unionization campaign which has swept the nation, following the workers behind the union as they navigate victories and defeats, and in the process breathe life into America's labor movement.

Union

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_(fil

Jusqu'au bout. Vieillir et résister dans le monde ouvrier

Bruno, Christian, Clairette, Christiane, and Viviane are former Peugeot employees from Sochaux-Montbéliard. Battered by factory work, these retirees place union activism and friendly solidarity at the heart of their lives.

Harvesting Anger: Lemons in Tucumán / COSECHANDO BRONCA: El limón en Tucumán

The documentary "Harvesting Anger: Lemons in Tucumán" exposes the harsh reality for citrus industry workers in Tucumán. Argentina is the world's leading exporter of industrial lemon products and the eighth largest exporter of fresh lemons.

MADYGRAF: Traces of a Future / MADYGRAF: Huellas de un futuro

The documentary Madygraf: Footprints of a Future offers a glimpse into the history of the iconic worker-run factory Madygraf, formerly the multinational RR Donnelley and before that, the Atlántida printing plant. It was one of the largest printing facilities in Latin America, located in the heart of the Garín industrial park in the northern part of…

Building Power to Shape Labor Policy: Unions, Employer Associations, and Reform in Neoliberal Chile

During Chile’s transition to neoliberalism, Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship established a body of pro-business labor legislation that later democratic governments found difficult to reform. Pablo Pérez Ahumada examines why, focusing on collective labor law and on the unequal capacity of workers and employers to influence public policy.

Sindikati kroz izazove prošlosti i budućnosti / Unions through the Challenges of the Past and Future

The book "Unions through the Challenges of the Past and Future" recording the testimonies of trade unionists about the transition in Serbia, about strikes and bad privatizations, with details that are little known to the public. The authors of the book are journalist Jelena Ranković and long-time leader of the union of the "Zastava Arms" factory and the…

Ken Loach: The Art of Activism

Two times winner of the Palme d'Or, Ken Loach is one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers. This documentary shows in a punk and rebellious tone how Loach uses cinema as a political tool that allows to advocate for the advent of a more just society, by raising viewers' awareness.

The Assembly Line / L'Établi

Sejarah Gerakan Buruh Indonesia / History of the Indonesian Labor Movement

The history of the Indonesian labor movement from the Dutch colonial period (1870) to 2000. This film explores the emergence of the working class, how workers built their organizations, the victories of the labor movement during the Independence era, the destruction of the labor movement under Suharto’s dictatorship, and workers’ resistance in the 1990s.

¡Sí se puede!' - Sindicalismo en Colombia

The documentary "'¡Sí se puede!'" (2023) exposes the harsh reality of Colombia, the world's most dangerous country for activists. It follows the perilous struggles of oil worker Moisés Báron and domestic workers Nohelia Mendoza and Nellys Simarra, who face political violence and extreme inequality.

Community and Change: Practical Trade Union Work that Creates Engagement / Fellesskap og forandring: Praktisk fagforeningsarbeid som skaper engasjement

Active and engaged shop stewards and union staff are the key to a strong labour movement that can achieve results in the workplace, in national negotiations, and in politics. But to create this kind of engagement, the labour movement must devote more effort to building strong communities and good relationships in workplaces—developing what are often…

The Riot 1907 / Sulis 1907

In the early 1900s, Sulitjelma Gruber was the second largest industrial company in Norway. The living conditions for the mining workers were very primitive, working conditions hard and harmful to health.

Working Class Goes to Hell

Workers from a factory that has closed reach out to the supernatural in a struggle for personal dignity.

Workers and Intellectuals: NGOs, Students, and the Indonesian Labor Movement Buruh dan Intelektual: LSM, Mahasiswa, dan Gerakan Buruh Indonesia

This book examines the resurgence of Indonesia’s independent labor movement in the 1990s after decades of repression, focusing on the contested role played by middle-class activists, particularly students and labor NGOs. As trade unions re-emerged following the fall of the New Order regime in 1998, non-worker intellectuals continued to shape labor…

အရှေ့ကနေဝန်းထွက်သည့်ပမာ / Example of a circle coming out of the east

This is a long Burmese novel by writer and politician Thein Pe Myint, which tells the historical background of the Burmese independence movement from 1934 to 1942. The background is formed by movements involving various layers, such as the Kamaryut labor movement, the Yangon poor movement, the university student movement, the peasant anti-landlord…

Drop by drop — there will be a wave!

A film about the everyday work of activists in the "Be Like Nina" union movement. The movement was created after Nina Kozlovskaya wrote on Facebook about working conditions.

Handbook of Research on the Global Political Economy of Work

This 724-page Handbook develops a global and intersectional approach to the political economy of work, labour relations and workers. It examines exploitation, class formation, capital accumulation, migration, digital and reproductive labour, trade unionism, workers’ resistance and social movements.

Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech

The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods.

Fight Like Hell: The Testimony of Mother Jones

Fire Department, Inc

A suburban firefighter’s labor union finds itself under a different kind of fire when the Village Mayor announces he’s privatizing their department to save money. What results is a five year long legal battle with the potential to change labor law for the entire country.

Memorial Day Massacre: Workers Die, Film Buried

Examines the 1937 police shooting of striking steelworkers at Chicago’s Republic Steel & the suppressed newsreel film of the incident.

UPS Strike: Lessons from '97

The story of the Teamsters’ successful strike at UPS in 1997.

Muiterij / Mutiny How our world is tilting

Mutiny' captures the excitement of world events today. In Europe, life is in turmoil even after the pandemic.

Sons of the Desert / Hijos del desierto

The story begins in the far north of Chile , around 1907. At that time, a terrible event occurred, known throughout history as the Santa María School Massacre in Iquique .

Ll nous reste la colère / We still have anger

The film about the fight of Poutou and his comrades against the closure of the Ford factory in Blanquefort

The Syndicalist

The true story of Maureen Kearney (Isabelle Huppert), the head union representative of a French multinational nuclear powerhouse. She became a whistleblower when she revealed a secret deal between the state-owned utility Electricité de France and a Chinese power company, which Kearney feared would transfer sensitive nuclear technology from Areva to China…

The Loud Spring: Together out of the Climate Crisis / Der laute Frühling: Gemeinsam aus der Klimakrise

A documentary and animated film about the climate crisis and the political power of workers. It connects climate activism with strikes, trade-union organizing and workers’ self-organization, asking how people can build the power needed for a profound social transformation beyond green capitalism.