New York, NY – Staten Island, like the rest of NYC, is a union town — and if the independent Amazon Labor Union [ALU] has its way, workers at the massive JFK 8 fulfillment center on Gulf Avenue will not only be adding to ranks of the local rank & file — they’ll potentially be making labor history as the first group of Amazon warehouse workers in the nation to successfully unionize.
The ALU, started after Amazon employee Chris Smalls was terminated for sounding the alarm about unsafe working conditions inside the Staten Island warehouse in 2020, is made up of both former and present workers operating on a shoestring budget. Nevertheless, the ALU has reportedly secured about 4,000 union cards from the roughly 6,000 employees working at the S.I. facility.
Voting on Staten Island takes place March 25 through March 30. The National Labor Relations Board [NLRB], meanwhile, will also begin counting votes in the rerun election being held at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. That do-over election was triggered after the NLRB determined Amazon cheated workers hoping to organize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union [RWDSU].
The ALU’s initial unionization drive fell short last year, but workers appealed that outcome and won a more favorable decision from the NLRB. They charged Amazon with unfair labor practices, including firings and worker harassment in connection with that prior effort.
The ALU held a spirited pre-vote rally outside the Gulf Avenue facility on March 20, that included members of the Communication Workers of America Local 1102 and 1180; New York State Nurses Association; AFSCME DC 37, and the teachers’ union. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, State Senator Jessica Ramos and retiring New York State Senator Diane Savino were also on hand.
Past and present JFK 8 workers recounted numerous safety and health violations inside the facility, especially during the COVID shutdown. They also documented incidents of sexual harassment and racism largely ignored by management,
Some of the speakers targeted Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos, whose roughly $197 billion net worth was achieved off the backs of exploited warehouse workers. They jeered the $80 million penthouse he purchased in Manhattan and blasting off into space, while neglecting the cries of workers making barely enough to survive.
ALU workers are now seeking phone banking volunteers during the week of voting. Union advocate and Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon, as well as other high-profile figures, have already signed up. Anyone interested in assisting the ALU organizing drive should visit the union’s website and click on the “get involved” tab.
