At the beginning of April, an employee vote at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, established the first Amazon union, with the efforts of Chris Smalls, president of the Amazon Labor Union, his co-organizer, Derrick Palmers and others.
Out of 8,325 eligible voters, the vote at the Staten Island warehouse was 2,654 to 2,131. Sixty-seven votes were challenged and 17 were voided.
Employees at more than 100 Amazon facilities have now been in contact with the union organizers, hoping to set up unions in their own warehouses.
The union has the support of top politicians, such as Senator Bernie Sanders.
Amazon is the second largest employer in the United States. The company has been fighting back hard against unions being set up in their warehouses. In 2020, when Chris Smalls organized a walkout at the Staten Island facility, to protect conditions during the pandemic, Amazon spent millions to thwart his efforts. They also laid him off, which Smalls says was in response to his union organizing activities. Subsequently, Smalls organized the Amazon Labor Union, rallying supporters and raising money through GoFundMe donations.
Amazon had Smalls and his co-organizers arrested for trespassing while they were delivering food and union pamphlets in an Amazon warehouse parking lot.
Amazon filed an appeal to the National Labor Relations Board, citing 25 objections, alleging that the Amazon Labor Union interfered with the Staten Island vote, by intimidating and forcing workers to vote pro-union.
On Thursday, Amazon was given a two-week extension in order to file proof supporting its objections.
Meanwhile, another Amazon warehouse will be voting next week. Other organizers have been working with Amazon facilities and negotiating with Amazon officials.
On Twitter, the Amazon Labor Union establishes itself as a worker-led movement to return power to Amazon employees and establish employee rights to negotiate for a safer and more equitable workplace.
