If you find yourself at home this Labor Day weekend, we’ve got a great lineup of labor films to check out. Many are not just great films about workers, but great films on their own, with terrific acting, directing, and more. And with movies so easy to watch nowadays with on-demand, these films are just a few clicks away.
9 to 5 (1980)
Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him. Available on MAX and Rent/Buy on Amazon.
10,000 Black Men Named George (2002)
Union activist Asa Philip Randolph's efforts to organize the black porters of the Pullman Rail Company in 1920s America. Available free on YouTube.
American Dream (1990)
Chronicles the six-month strike at Hormel in Austin, Minnesota, in 1985-86. Available on AMC+
American Factory (2019)
In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America. Available on Netflix.
Bread and Roses (2000)
Two Latina sisters work as cleaners in a downtown office building and fight for the right to unionize. Not available on streaming services.
Cesar Chavez (2014)
A biography of the civil-rights activist and labor organizer Cesar Chavez. Available on Hulu and Amazon with premium subscription.
The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)
A tycoon goes undercover to ferret out agitators at a department store, but gets involved in their lives instead. Available on PLEX and Rent/Buy on Amazon.
The Killing Floor (1984)
A poor black Southerner travels to Chicago to work in the city's slaughterhouses, where he becomes embroiled in the organized labor movement. Available for Rent/Buy on YouTube, Vudu, and Apple TV
Harlan County, USA (1976)
A heartbreaking record of the 13-month struggle between a community and a corporation. Available on MAX and Amazon premium subscription.
Hoffa (1992)
The story of American labor union figure Jimmy Hoffa. Available on for Rent/Buy on YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu, and Amazon.
Matewan (1987)
A labor union organizer comes to an embattled mining community brutally and violently dominated and harassed by the mining company. Available free on YouTube
The Molly Maguires (1970)
In 1876 Pennsylvania, a group of Irish immigrant coal miners begin to retaliate against the cruelty of their work environment. Available on Pluto TV and Rent/Buy on YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu, and Amazon.
Newsies (1992)
Loosely based on the New York City Newsboys' Strike of 1899. Available on Disney + and for Rent/Buy on YouTube, Apple TV, and Vudu.
Norma Rae(1970)
A young single mother and textile worker agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved. Available on Hulu and Amazon with premium subscription.
Salt of the Earth (1954)
Workers at a Zinc mine call a general strike. It is only through the solidarity of the workers, and the resolve of their wives, mothers and daughters, that they eventually triumph. Available for Rent/Buy on YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu, and Amazon.
Silkwood (1983)
A worker at a plutonium processing plant is possibly murdered to prevent her from exposing worker safety violations at the plant. Not available for streaming.
The Wobblies (1979)
Investigates a nation torn by corporate greed and the rift between industry and the workers in the field and factory. Available for Rent/Buy on YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu, and Amazon.