Barbara Kopple’s ‘Union Town’ Spotlights UPS, Amazon and ‘Deliveristas’ Fighting for Labor Rights

Two-time Oscar winner Barbara Kopple is back with “Union Town,” the final chapter in her labor rights trilogy. After premiering at Venice and Toronto, the documentary heads to the Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival, where Kopple discussed the project with Variety. The film follows U.S. delivery and warehouse workers at UPS and Amazon, along with app-based “deliveristas,” as they organize for better conditions. Kopple, known for landmark docs like “Harlan County, USA,” calls these workers her heroes for fighting for “dignity and fairness.” With unionization efforts gaining momentum across the logistics sector, “Union Town” arrives at a pivotal moment, putting a human face on the battles over wages, safety, and worker rights in the gig economy.