♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, fighting back. workers of america on strike and hitting the picket lines. >> we work and work, and it's time. it's time to get what we deserve. >> from heavy machinery to the food on our tables to coal mines. >> i plan on continuing to fight just as long as i can. >> what's fueling this labor uprising? plus, together again. matt damon and ben affleck teaming up in "the last duel." >> i will not be patronized by this squire. >> 25 years after the oscar-winning "good will hunting," their relationship

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good evening. thank you for joining us. across the country, workers are fed up and striking back, hitting the picket lines, demanding better pay and benefits. here's abc's senior national correspondent terry moran. >> i'm looking for what's fair. to us. >> if we're critically essential workers because we make agricultural equipment, we feed the world, well, do we not deserve a critically essential wage and benefit? >> reporter: in the wee hours thursday morning, 10,000 workers at john deere hit the picket lines in iowa, illinois, and kansas, on strike for the first time in 35 years. >> they can't continue to take our money and take our money and take our money. >> reporter: they're demanding better pay, secure pensions, a fair share of a hugely profitable american company. the workers at john deere voted overwhelmingly to reject the contract that their own union,

the united auto workers, had negotiated with management. >> there was a pretty blatant attack on our benefits. they want to us pay more for our benefits. >> reporter: the deal offered a 5% raise, not what the workers expected from a company that estimates it will make $5.9 billion in profits in 2021. workers argue that even as john deere's profits grew by 61% in recent years, and their ceo's salary grew by 160% during the pandemic, their pay has actually been cut. so you want a bigger piece of a bigger pie? >> yeah, a bigger piece of a bigger pie. >> we have about 700 billionaires in the u.s., total net worth $4.7 trillion. that is actually more than the bottom half of all americans combined. >> reporter: something is happening in the american workforce. employees want more, and they are willing to strike or even quit to get it. a record-breaking 4.3 million americans, or 2.9% of the

workforce, left their jobs in august. >> american workers are tired. they are frustrated. they are burnt out. and after 19 months through the pandemic, they're wondering what comes next for them? >> reporter: while john deere employees are on day one of their fight, in brookwood, alabama, striking coal miners rally every wednesday. >> every union in this country owes something to coal miners! >> reporter: bolstered by their motto "one day longer." but those days have turned into months. seven months now. braxton wright joined the picket lines after failing to reach a deal with mine owner warrior met coal. >> we knew it was going to be a struggle and a fight. >> did you think in october you'd still be here? >> i did think we would get something settled before now. and it just seems to be getting worse. >> reporter: larry spencer is the union vice president involved in the negotiations. >> i would like to say this

part. they might think they're going to break these people's spirit. but they're not. >> reporter: this is the first coal miner strike the town has seen in four e brookwood are demanding an increase in wages and benefits. >> i believe the labor movement in the united states is growing. but i think a lot of them are watching us, because they know if we lose this fight, they're next. >> reporter: abc news reached out to warrior met coal for comment, but the company turned down our request for interview due to the ongoing negotiations, telling abc news in part, we remain steadfast in our belief that the eight proposals given to the union are fair and equitable. warrior met coal provides some of the highest-paying jobs in alabama. warrior met coal continues to negotiate in good faith with the umwa, and we remain hopeful for a fair and reasonable resolution. >> we fight hard every day and try and make sure these workers get treated fairly.

and plan on continuing to fight just as long as i can. >> kind of a david and goliath fight right now. >> reporter: last week, 1,400 kellogg's cereal workers launch ed strikes in tennessee, nebraska, michigan, pennsylvania, angry about what they say are long hours, including seven-day workweeks. >> this is a simple matter of fact, that the rich want to get richer. and to do that, they take away from the small guys. >> if you appreciate having your favorite cereal or your favorite product on a shelf, you need to make sure that the people that made that possible are able to live a good, stable, dignified existence. >> reporter: john fetterman is lieutenant governor of pennsylvania and a fierce supporter of unions. fetterman is currently fund-raising for kellogg's workers, picketing on the front lines. >> these are the men and women that fed us during a pandemic. and they stepped up throughout the entire time, and they didn't

have the luxury of standing down. >> reporter: a kellogg's spokesperson says the company has been, quote, grossly misrepresented by the unions and that kellogg's top priority is reaching a contract. >> we value all our employees and recognize their efforts, especially during this global pandemic. we're especially concerned that the union struck without allowing members to vote on the company's october 1st offer. >> reporter: in california and oregon, 24,000 nurses and other health care workers at kaiser permanente voted to authorize a strike over pay and working conditions. and soon hollywood may see a walk-out. roughly 60,000 film and tv workers are getting their picket signs ready, set to go on strike on monday. >> this is the moment, this is the fight. >> reporter: if it h■appens, it would be the first nationwide strike in that powerful union's history and could bring hollywood to a halt. >> we have some members in our crafts that are so underpaid

that they can't possibly survive in the cities where they provide services. >> our hours are really grueling. and we need not just rest between the workdays and over the weekend, but an actual meal break during the day. >> reporter: but on the growing number of picket lines and across america, it's about more than money. it's about respect. sounds like it's about sticking together? >> yes, it's about sticking together now and for the people that come after us. >> reporter: john deere releasing a statement to abc news reading in part, john deere is committed to a favorable outcome for everyone involved and is committed to reach an agreement with the uaw that would put every employee in a better economic position and continue to make them the highest-paid employees in the agriculture and construction industries. our immediate concern is meeting the needs of our customers. the workers who make those iconic green tractors are bracing for the long haul. how long are you prepared to do this for?

>> as long as we have to. whatever that takes, however long that takes to do, we're ready. >> our thanks to terry. earlier this evening i spoke to andrew johnson, a kellogg's assembly line worker on strike in lancaster, pennsylvania. andrew, thank you so much for joining us. as we saw in the piece, across the country.re striking - tell me why you're on strike. >> i'm on strike for my family, my children. they deserve, when they get to the workforce, to be able to earn a fair wage, have good health care, and be able to retire someday. and the way corporate america's going, it's not going to be there for them unless us, the working class, stand up and fight for them. >> talk to me about being an essentialer worker during the pandemic. >> it was a lot of long hours, hard days. when you go in there at the beginning they told us we were essential workers there was a sense of pride behind that, that america needs us. and it felt good because we were taking care of america.ponly a

were nothing, that the company needed us to give them more concessions. >> kellogg's is such a well-known american brand. what is it you want consumers to know about the company? >> that they need to stop being so greedy. kellogg's was a fabulous company to work for. they always took care of their workers. but today, all they want to do is line the ceo's pockets with a bigger bonus every year, and they don't care about the employees. >> if you had the opportunity to send a message to executives what would you say to them? >> we go to work every day to make the company the billions and billions of dollars in profits that they make. without us, they won't make that money. take care of us, we'll take care of you. >> andrew, you mentioned earlier that you're a father. how old are your kids? >> my oldest is 10. middle one is 6. youngest is 2 1/2. >> how do you explain this to them? >> i tell them that this is something that has to happen for

their future so that they're able to have a good job someday. i have to go to work to provide the life that they deserve. and i hope when they get older that they understand the long hours wasn't about me, it was about them. >> how long can you hold out? >> i'll be on that street for a year before i'm willing to concede to anything. the union, probably longer. >> lines have been drawn. andrew johnson, thank you so much for your time. we wish the best to you and your family and to your union brothers and sisters. >> thank you, byron. up next, matt damon and ben affleck. the longtime friends back on the big screen in "the last duel." is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight... now, back to the game!

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♪ damon and ben affleck grew up together and broke into hollywood together. while their careers diverged, their friendship did not. now they're teaming up for the first time in decades. here's my "nightline" coanchor juju chang. >> i was talking about "good will hunting," 25 years ago? that was yesterday. >> it does feel body like yesterday and like a long time ago. >> reporter: ben affleck, matt damon. childhood besties who rocketed to fame in their 20s, winning oscars for best screenplay in 1997 and starring together in "good will hunting." >> look, you're my best friend so don't take this the wrong way -- but in 20 years, if you're still living here, failure. >> reporter: their latest, "the last duel" starring damon as a

knight locked to a duel to the death with rival, adam driver, affleck stealing scenes as a decadent noble man. >> i will not be patronized by this squire. >> i notice all the scenes you have with matt, ben, he's bowing and scraping to you. >> it was the joy, really. >> is that your friendship dynamic playing out? >> not quite. >> i have to get into his house. >> it did make the part fun. >> reporter: their second writing collaboration a quarter of a century in the making. >> how has your friendship changed in those 25 years? >> we have kids, we have lives, we've been through a lot. so naturally, you know, your work changes and your friendship changes. but the friendship has kind of been a really valuable thing. it just happens that we both do the same job, and that's really helpful. >> reporter: the writing duo now a trio with acclaimed award-winning writer and director nicole >> i think the first thing was,

hey, do you want to write our sword-fighting movie with us? >> i was like, ha ha, funny, nice to hear from you, what's this really about? >> it's such a hyper-masculine movie. there's testosterone all over the screen. yet in many ways the heroine is the woman. >> absolutely. i mean, we kind of wanted it to be a surprise that it turns out that she is the star of the movie. and that's what this movie really is about. >> reporter: marguerite decourage, played by jodie comer of "killing eve," refuses to remain silent after being raped, only to discover that trial by combat means she could wind up burned at the stake. >> you are risking my life so you can fight your enemy and save your pride. >> what is really special about marguerite's story is her extraordinary courage and heroism. it's a great story about an extraordinary person from real life. >> reporter: the epic tale of a gory battle between gladiators,

based on real-life events of a sexual assault told roshamon style, three different perspectives. >> the two male narraters prove unreliable narraters, then reveal this world of women that's been totally ignored and overlooked through the first two acts of move they. >> and throughout history. >> she's the only one of the narraters that understands she's a human being. >> how do the women in your life feel about the feminist twist in the movie? >> my daughter was like, today it's more difficult to have a nuanced conversation about consent, than a simplistic story about climbing in the window. >> she's 4. >> very sophisticated. >> reporter: the story unfolds in france in the 1300s. the filmmakers are well aware of its relevance in 2021. >> it has a very modern feminist twist in this story. it's in many ways about

marguerite's saving the farm while her husband is off fighting for king and country. was that important to portray that? >> very much. i didn't want her just to be sitting there crocheting. she knew more about horses, she was more on top of collecting the rents, she was good at math. >> reporter: and he was good at fighting. damon's physicality echoing his years as blockbuster action hero jason bourne. affleck also went on to take on marquee roles like batman and won another oscar for best picture, "argo." >> you have to know your resume back to front. >> reporter: the two reuniting after spending 25 years among the most bankable stars in hollywood, taking their craft very seriously. >> those fight choreographies, they're really dances. because you can be the best fighter in the world, but if the other person isn't exactly in the right place, it looks terrible. >> i don't like gore. i have to say, i covered my eyes through half your fight scenes. >> so did me mother, she

confessed that to me. >> we have to address the elephant in the room, the mutual lites. >> mine? >> yeah, yours. the brave artistic choice that you guys made. >> yeah. >> what was the thinking? >> the idea behind it was this guy's remembered as this savage warrior, even today. just take a knife, shear the side of his hair socod and go. >> reporter: the film's world premiere in new york city grabbing extra headlines for bennifer, rekindling their romance nearly two decades later. so i have to ask the question, ben. you and jennifer walked the red carpet. is dealing with paparazzi different this time around? >> i'm not sure why you feel compelled to ask that question. i feel no compulsion to answer it. >> i think because all of your fans are so obsessed with it. i think as a surrogate for all of your fans, i feel compelled. >> i actually do understand. it's part of the experience of my life, since i've been an

actor, of tabloid attention and paparazzi and stuff. i'm not sure what it is, that i don't find my life merits that kind of interest. >> reporter: it's clear these hollywood veterans are far more interested in the stories they get to tell, picking and choosing them a luxury they've earned. >> i get the sense that this is really a meaningful project for all of you. >> it's an amazing story. a true story about this incredible woman. and there's a lot to discuss about these different perspectives. we really enjoyed writing it and thinking about it for a couple of years. >> i think i would want people to come out of the movie moved. that's not our job, to incite change. but i think our emotions lead us. and i think a lot of women might see themselves reflected in this story, and hopefully the men will see themselves reflected as well. >> our thanks to juju. up next, "easy on me," adele's new single, just out.

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finally tonight, it's been a long time waiting, but here it is. ♪ myself to swim when i am drowning ♪ >> "easy on me." 15-time grammy winner adele's first new single in six years. ♪ so please help me baby ♪ >> dropping just hours ago. her new album "30" is due out in november. and that's "nightline" for this ev