Why did the ALU's campaign for worker rights resonate with Amazon workers?

Words by Charles Brooks

Amazon workers took a page in history to write their own story by voting to join the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York. This fulfillment center (JFK8) will be the first unionized Amazon work site in the country. Out of the nearly 6,000 workers there, 2,654 voted for joining the ALU while 2,131 voted against.  ALUs victory is extraordinary considering that up until now, Amazon successfully defeated every single attempted union drive in a US facility. 

THE STRUGGLE FOR WORKER RIGHTS IN BESSEMER CONTINUES…

"It was a portal through which we collectively, many of us, were momentarily allowed to dream of what the future could look like if this emerging or emergent behemoth of Amazon had more democratic control, if workers had more collective power and more say over their workplaces, over how the economy is run so on and so forth...", Robin D.G. Kelley, October 2021  

words by Charles Brooks

April 2, 2022 UPDATE: According to the NLRB, the recent election results show 993 versus 875 who want to join the RWDSU but due to 416 “challenged” votes – the results cannot be certified.  The results are on hold until the NLRB holds a hearing that, “processes the challenges and any objections the parties may file.

Photo credit: BAmazon photo gallery

Workers at the Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, are once again engaged in a pitched battle to unionize there.  Although, workers voted last year not to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) “set aside” the election results due to Amazon’s anti-union activities and ordered new elections.  

The workers there now not only have a second chance to make history but to continue the momentum that has already ignited similar organizing activities across the country.  The political and economic implications of a win is so enormous that it is no understatement to say the stakes here are high.