The Amazon Labor Union inched closer to a decisive victory in Staten Island with the NLRB’s recommendation (Photo: Shutterstock)
There’s a battle brewing in Amazon’s warehouses, and the massive marketplace is losing traction.
Now the fate of Amazon’s more than 8,000 Staten Island workers lies in the hands of an NLRB regional director. Amazon will have until Sept. 16 to file any objections to the recommendation, at which point the regional director will make a determination. The director will either order a new union vote or force the company to begin contract negotiations with the ALU.
The memo added that Amazon intends to appeal Dunn’s recommendation. However, the NLRB typically adheres to the determinations made by its regional offices.
Today is a great day for Labor ✊? @amazonlabor has officially won our objections hearing against @amazon the Hearing Officer of Region 28 has officially declared that all objections are dismissed and recommended certification!!! Once again we proven that our campaign was power! /4LrmZcHcvS
— Christian Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon) September 1, 2022
Smalls has become something of a figurehead for Amazon warehouse workers looking to unionize. He’s spent the past few months talking to news outlets and spreading the word on social media about the ALU’s efforts on Staten Island, even garnering a spot on Time mgazine’s list of the most influential people of 2022.
But Smalls isn’t even employed by Amazon. He was laid off by the company in 2020 after organizing a walkout protesting the Staten Island facility’s COVID safety protocols. So how does someone threaten the interests of a multibillion-dollar company without even being employed by it?
Smalls has touted the ALU’s union push as a grassroots movement. He often posted up outside of the warehouse where he used to work, setting up a tent with a sign that read “Sign Your Authorization Cards Here,” organizing bonfires and handing out free food and cannabis for employees.
Unions, Semiconductors, and Employment
Now the ALU is looking to unionize another Amazon facility, a warehouse near Albany, New York. Workers there have gathered enough signatures to petition the NLRB for their own election, and Smalls and the ALU have offered their support.
But it could all depend on the outcome of the Staten Island election. A win there would show workers at other facilities that unionization, while difficult, is possible under the right conditions.
