More Perfect Union (media organization)

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
Websiteperfectunion.us

In August 2021, More Perfect Union won the Sidney Award for outstanding investigative journalism.[3]

Amazon union drive

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."[4]

Snack company strikes

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."[3]

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."[5] The news spread widely and contributed to DeVito and his rallying cry becoming popular labor memes.[6]

The Class Room

In November 2021, More Perfect Union launched an explainer series called "The Class Room". It is "aimed at providing a left-wing answer to PragerU, a YouTube titan of right-wing ideology," the New York Times reported.[1]

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

In 2023 The Class Room was awarded The Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis. [7]

References
  1. Smith, Ben (8 November 2021). "Why the Media Loves Labor Now". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2021. More Perfect Union, a video-centric outlet that has a staff of 24 and backing from George Soros's Open Society Foundation, among other donors, does not take money from labor unions, Mr. Shakir said.
  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. "More Perfect Union wins August Sidney for Agenda-Setting Coverage of Topeka Frito-Lay Strike". Hillman Foundation. 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  4. "Biden hails Amazon workers pressing to unionize in Alabama in unusual sign of support". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  5. Smith, Ryan (2021-08-20). "Danny DeVito gets Twitter verification back after abrupt loss of status sparks outrage". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  6. Stevens, Ashlie D. (2021-08-31). "No contracts, no snacks: Everything you need to know about the Nabisco strike". Salon. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  7. https://hillmanfoundation.org/hillman-prizes/2023-hillman-prize-opinion-journalism. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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