More Perfect Union (media organization)

Last updated
More Perfect Union
FormationFebruary 2021
Founder Faiz Shakir
Type Nonprofit
EIN: 85-3189807
FocusLabor, economy, working-class issues
MethodVideo journalism, advocacy reporting
Awards Sidney Award (2021), Hillman Prize (2023), Emmy Award (2025)
TikTok information
Page
Followers1.2 million (October 11, 2025)
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers2.17 million (October 11, 2025)
Views343 million

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]

Contents

It received the Sidney Award in 2021 for coverage of the Frito-Lay strike, and its explainer series The Class Room won a Hillman Prize in 2023 for opinion journalism. [3] [4] In June 2025, More Perfect Union won an Emmy Award for Outstanding News Discussion & Analysis. [5]

Activities

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 forced 7-day workweeks and so-called 'suicide shifts', which gave workers only 8 hours of break between shifts." [3] [6]

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." [7] The news spread widely and contributed to DeVito and his rallying cry becoming popular labor memes. [8]

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]

In 2023, "The Class Room" was awarded the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis. [4]

Political coverage

In 2023, the outlet released footage of President Joe Biden meeting union organizers and reported on his appearance at a United Auto Workers picket line, noting that the organization played a coordinating role. [9]

Organization and leadership

More Perfect Union is led by Faiz Shakir. As of 2023, the organization had approximately 28 full-time employees. [10]

Funding

More Perfect Union is funded by philanthropic donors and does not accept contributions from corporations or labor unions. [1] [10] Reported donors include the Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, and entities linked to Pierre Omidyar. [1] [10]

Reception

More Perfect Union is recognized as part of the progressive digital media landscape. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Ben (8 November 2021). "Why the Media Loves Labor Now". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  2. ↑ Conley, Julia (9 December 2021). ""History made!" Buffalo Starbucks workers vote to form chain's first union in U.S." Salon. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  3. 1 2 "More Perfect Union wins August Sidney for Agenda-Setting Coverage of Topeka Frito-Lay Strike". Hillman Foundation. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  4. 1 2 "The Class Room". Hillman Foundation. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  5. ↑ "2025 News & Documentary Emmy Winners" (PDF). The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  6. ↑ Romo, Vanessa (21 July 2021). "Striking To End 'Suicide Shifts,' Frito-Lay Workers Ask People To Drop The Doritos". NPR. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  7. ↑ Smith, Ryan (20 August 2021). "Danny DeVito gets Twitter verification back after abrupt loss of status sparks outrage". Newsweek. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  8. ↑ Stevens, Ashlie D. (31 August 2021). "No contracts, no snacks: Everything you need to know about the Nabisco strike". Salon. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  9. ↑ Wagner, Laura (28 September 2023). "The small pro-labor news site that has the Biden White House's ear". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Crowell, Maddy (10 June 2024). "A Little to the Left". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
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