The Amazon Labor Union (ALU) is an independent

labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

specifically for

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workers, created on April 20, 2021. On April 1, 2022, the Amazon workers at a warehouse in

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, JFK8, backed by the ALU became the first unionized Amazon workers recognized by the

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History

The Amazon Labor Union was founded on April 20, 2021 by a labor-activist group founded by

Chris Smalls Christian Smalls (born 1988 or 1989) is an American labor organizer known for his role in leading Amazon worker organization in Staten Island, a borough in New York City. He is the president and founder of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) since 2021 ...

called The Congress of Essential Workers (TCOEW). Smalls, along with Derrick Palmer, had organized a

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at the JFK8 facility to protest Amazon's handling of the

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, which had led to the firing of Smalls. Smalls' termination was widely criticized by government officials, and prompted Smalls to form TCOEW and lead a number of

strike actions Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the I ...

. Learning from the 2020 Bessemer union drive at an Amazon facility in

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, which initially resulted in a now-challenged vote against unionizing, Smalls concluded that he should lead a grassroots movement to organize the ALU after assessing the attacks Amazon made against the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union during the Bessemer drive. Smalls explained his decision, saying to ''

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'' "If established unions had been effective, they would have unionized Amazon already. We have to think about 21st century-style unionizing. It's how do we build up the workers' solidarity." Chris Smalls interview with reporters

Over 50 Amazon warehouses contacted the ALU in attempts to organize their own workplaces, with some facilities from

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and the

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asking the ALU for assistance.

Leadership

* President:

* Vice president of organizing: Derrick Palmer * Vice president of membership: Connor Spence * Treasurer: Madeline Wesley * Secretary: Karen Ponce

Membership

JFK8 warehouse

Over a five-day period between March 25 and 30, 2022, workers voted for unionizing the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island. On April 1, 2022, the ballot count concluded with 2,654 in favor of unionizing and 2,131 voting against, officially resulting with the creation of the Amazon Labor Union as the first independent Amazon union in the United States. ''

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'' described the unionization as "one of the biggest victories for organized labor in a generation" and ''

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'' wrote that the ALU's achievement was "the most important labor victory in the United States since the 1930s". President Joe Biden congratulated the union, with Press Secretary Jen Psaki stating he was "glad to see workers ensure their voices are heard" and that Biden "believes firmly that every worker in every state must have a free and fair choice to join a union". Amazon submitted an objection to the

NLRB The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States with responsibilities for enforcing U.S. labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices. Under the Natio ...

, asking for a new election. The company claimed that members of the Union "intimidated employees", "recorded voters in the polling place" and "distributed marijuana to employees in exchange for their support", according to an excerpt from the complaint.

LDJ5 warehouse

On March 2, 2022, the NLRB approved a union election at the second of the four New York City warehouses, LDJ5. On May 2, 2022, the workers voted 618 to 380 against a union, with 1,600 employees eligible for the vote.

References

External links

*
Amazon Labor Union Twitter account
{{Amazon 2021 establishments in New York City Amazon (company) History of Staten Island History of labor relations in the United States Organizations based in New York City Strikes during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States Trade unions established in 2021 Trade unions in New York (state) Working-class culture in New York City