More Perfect Union

More Perfect Union is a progressive non-profit news media organization founded in February 2021 by Faiz Shakir. The outlet, named after a phrase in the U.S. Constitution, specializes in video reporting and opinion coverage about the American labor movement, economic policy, and corporate accountability.[1][2]

For other uses, see A More Perfect Union.
More Perfect Union
FormationFebruary 2021
Executive Director
Faiz Shakir
Websitewww.perfectunion.us

More Perfect Union says its aim is to help "working people to be seen and heard in media coverage," and most of its videos prominently feature everyday workers.[3] In August 2021, More Perfect Union won the Sidney Award for outstanding investigative journalism.[4] Its coverage has also included video interviews or essays by prominent U.S. political figures, including former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Jon Tester, Reps. Ilhan Omar and Jamaal Bowman, and FTC chair Lina Khan.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

Amazon Union Drive

More Perfect Union launched by publishing a video featuring Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama explaining why they were organizing a union drive at their warehouse. More Perfect Union was the first national outlet to publish video coverage of the Amazon workers' organizing efforts, and the video went viral, garnering 2.7 million views on Twitter alone.[11] The Amazon union drive in Alabama subsequently became a major national story.

On February 28, 2021, President Joe Biden released a video statement voicing support for the Amazon workers in Bessemer, warning that "there should be no intimidation, no coercion, no threats, no anti-union propaganda."[12] The Washington Post reported, "In early February, staffers at a new media advocacy outlet called More Perfect Union told White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain in a phone call that Biden should speak out on behalf of the Amazon union drive. The group again urged Biden to do so last week."[13]

Snack Company Strikes

More Perfect Union gained prominence covering a series of strikes by workers at large U.S. food snack companies, including Nabisco, Frito-Lay, and Kellogg's, that generated national attention. Workers at all three companies described being assigned 12- or 16-hour work shifts for 6 or 7 days in a row, sometimes for weeks on end without a day off.[14][15][16]

In August 2021, More Perfect Union won the Sidney Award for its coverage of the Frito-Lay strike. "MPU was the first national outlet to cover the strike," the Sidney Hillman Foundation wrote in awarding the prize. "They published dispatches from the ground over a three-week period which collectively generated over 4 million views and spurred follow-on coverage by outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, and NPR... After a three-week strike, Frito’s Topeka plant struck an agreement to end the 'suicide shifts' and forced 7-day workweeks."[4]

Also in August 2021, More Perfect Union confirmed with actor Danny DeVito that he had been stripped of his verified status on Twitter after he tweeted a message of solidarity to striking Nabisco workers: "NO CONTRACT NO SNACKS."[17] The news spread widely and contributed to DeVito and his rallying cry becoming popular labor memes.[18]

The Class Room

In November 2021, More Perfect Union launched an explainer series called The Class Room "aimed at providing a left-wing answer to PragerU, a YouTube titan of right-wing ideology," the New York Times reported.[19]

More Perfect Union says it receives funding from grassroots donors and other foundations, including Open Society Foundations, but does not take money from labor unions or corporations.[1]

References
  1. Smith, Ben (8 November 2021). "Why the Media Loves Labor Now". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  2. Conley, Julia (9 December 2021). ""History made!" Buffalo Starbucks workers vote to form chain's first union in U.S." Salon. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  3. "About". More Perfect Union. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  4. "More Perfect Union wins August Sidney for Agenda-Setting Coverage of Topeka Frito-Lay Strike". Hillman Foundation. 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  5. Harry Reid Makes The Case For Medicare Expansion, retrieved 2022-01-26
  6. How To Convince Your Friends That Cancelling Student Debt Is A Good Idea — With Elizabeth Warren, retrieved 2022-01-26
  7. Why Biden's Right To Repair Order Is A Huge Deal, retrieved 2022-01-26
  8. The Next Big Climate Fight, retrieved 2022-01-26
  9. Why Standardized Testing Is Racist, retrieved 2022-01-26
  10. Can’t Cancel Your Subscription? Call the FTC, retrieved 2022-01-26
  11. "https://twitter.com/moreperfectus/status/1357796064670212098". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-01-26. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  12. "Biden urges workers to 'make your voice heard' as Amazon employees vote on union". Reuters. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  13. "Biden hails Amazon workers pressing to unionize in Alabama in unusual sign of support". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  14. Frito-Lay Is Working People To Death, retrieved 2022-01-26
  15. "Treated Like Slaves:" Factory Workers Who Make Oreos & Chips Ahoy Tell All, retrieved 2022-01-26
  16. Kellogg's Factory Working Conditions EXPOSED, retrieved 2022-01-26
  17. Smith, Ryan (2021-08-20). "Danny DeVito gets Twitter verification back after abrupt loss of status sparks outrage". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  18. Stevens, Ashlie D. (2021-08-31). "No contracts, no snacks: Everything you need to know about the Nabisco strike". Salon. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  19. Smith, Ben (2021-11-08). "Why the Media Loves Labor Now". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
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