Documentary magazine is pleased to debut an exclusive clip from Who Moves America, the sophomore feature documentary by Yael Bridge. The film (which received an IDA Direct Access Fund grant) will world premiere at True/False later today and is an ITVS coproduction with an anticipated public broadcast in the cards.
Who Moves America follows three perspectives—a California driver organizing his co-workers, a NY-based veteran of the 1997 strike and its historic gains for workers, and a Kentucky “part-timer” introduced to union voting for the first time—throughout the 2023 Teamsters renegotiating of the UPS workers’ contract. The film takes a mostly observational approach to illustrating the challenges of building worker solidarity in today’s part-time gig economy, punctuating the stakes with archival and contemporary reflections on the 1997 strike.
The film’s stakes are illustrated through the protagonists’ conversations about the benefits of backsliding, soaring UPS profits, and onerous working conditions. Rallies are organized specifically around the issue of UPS trucks not having air conditioning—at least one driver died in his truck.
“At a moment when so much feels out of control, Who Moves America is a film about the one thing that isn’t: each other. The Trump administration is rewriting the rules—dismantling labor protections, gutting enforcement agencies, and making clear that working people are on their own. But the UPS Teamsters offer a different story,” Bridge explains.
“In this clip, we see that story take shape: national leadership reporting back to the members, and workers in San Marcos debating what they owe each other, arriving at the idea that you don’t truly have something unless everyone does. When 340,000 workers chose solidarity over division, they didn’t just win a contract—they demonstrated that collective action remains the most effective force available to working people.”
This project is a continuation of Bridge’s interest in socialist and worker-led movements. Her debut feature, The Big Scary “S” Word (2020), traces the history and resurgence of socialism in the U.S. and is licensed by Hulu. Alongside Bridge, Jeremy Flood, Yoni Golijov (Cover-Up), and Mars Verrone (UNION) produce. Pic is edited by Thomas Nile (The Body Politic) and shot by Erick Stoll (American Factory).
