"We want to thank Jeff Bezos for going to space..."
April 1, 2022 6:06 PM Subscribe
yesterday, the improbable became the most probable when the scrappy band of workers who make up the Amazon Labor Union took the lead in a union election at a warehouse in Staten Island, New York, putting within reach a historic labor win at the corporate behemoth. The ALU clinched a decisive victory today, winning by a wide margin to create the first unionized workplace in Amazon’s extensive network of fulfillment, delivery, and sortation centers across the U.S.
Well fucking done.
posted by AdamCSnider at 6:26 PM on April 1, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by AdamCSnider at 6:26 PM on April 1, 2022 [13 favorites]
I've been watching the Alabama vote, which just baffles me. I'd love to see a deep analysis of Staten Island v Alabama.
posted by 2N2222 at 6:31 PM on April 1, 2022
posted by 2N2222 at 6:31 PM on April 1, 2022
We unionize, and do the other things, not because it is easy.
posted by longtime_lurker at 6:40 PM on April 1, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by longtime_lurker at 6:40 PM on April 1, 2022 [8 favorites]
Amazon Labor Union:
If you ever doubt your power as a lone worker, remember that Amazon spent $1 million in union busting costs per every worker-organizer on our campaign.posted by gwint at 6:46 PM on April 1, 2022 [65 favorites]
The power to connect with the people you work with and care about is the power to change the world.
Solidarity forever❤️
#ALU
Let’s credit and say the name of the black man who made it happen: Christian Smalls! He’s a working class hero and deserves his recognition every time we talk about this.
posted by Bottlecap at 6:49 PM on April 1, 2022 [68 favorites]
posted by Bottlecap at 6:49 PM on April 1, 2022 [68 favorites]
Major love for Chris Smalls and credit where it is due! But respectfully a union is just that - a group of people who win shit together - not lone heroes. Chris Smalls said as much in his quotes in the linked article.
posted by latkes at 7:06 PM on April 1, 2022 [26 favorites]
posted by latkes at 7:06 PM on April 1, 2022 [26 favorites]
Christian "Call me inarticulate again, son" Smalls!
posted by praemunire at 7:07 PM on April 1, 2022 [15 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 7:07 PM on April 1, 2022 [15 favorites]
Step by step, the longest march can be won.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 7:13 PM on April 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 7:13 PM on April 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
hell yeah
posted by mesh_drifting at 7:20 PM on April 1, 2022
posted by mesh_drifting at 7:20 PM on April 1, 2022
A big difference between Staten Island and Alabama is that NYC is a much more pro-union place. The courts are more supportive, the labor relations board (NLRB region 2) actually has power, and the city as a whole has a pro-union culture.
posted by subdee at 7:34 PM on April 1, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by subdee at 7:34 PM on April 1, 2022 [10 favorites]
For instance, the NLRB stepped in just last week to stop Amazon from meddling in this election:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/business/amazon-staten-island-facility.html
This is not to take anything away from the organizers BTW, it's still an important victory. It is just to say that because this election happened in Staten Island and not Alabama, the support from outside institutions was there, to create the conditions that helped to make this (historic) victory possible.
posted by subdee at 7:43 PM on April 1, 2022 [8 favorites]
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/business/amazon-staten-island-facility.html
This is not to take anything away from the organizers BTW, it's still an important victory. It is just to say that because this election happened in Staten Island and not Alabama, the support from outside institutions was there, to create the conditions that helped to make this (historic) victory possible.
posted by subdee at 7:43 PM on April 1, 2022 [8 favorites]
Alabama will not be held down, just give.them time, speed of trust y'all
posted by eustatic at 7:47 PM on April 1, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by eustatic at 7:47 PM on April 1, 2022 [6 favorites]
Oh yeah, definitely believe the workers in Alabama and all across the country have had enough, and we're just gonna see more amazon factories unionizing after this. Amazon knows it too, it's why they're racing to automate.
Here's another one on the NLRB, Staten Island, and Alabama:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/01/27/amazon-staten-island-nlrb-complaint/
posted by subdee at 7:54 PM on April 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
Here's another one on the NLRB, Staten Island, and Alabama:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/01/27/amazon-staten-island-nlrb-complaint/
posted by subdee at 7:54 PM on April 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
WAHOOOO! What fantastic news!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 7:58 PM on April 1, 2022
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 7:58 PM on April 1, 2022
Now we need the contract drivers to start unionizing. I think the Teamsters have already talked about working on that.
posted by hippybear at 7:59 PM on April 1, 2022 [14 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 7:59 PM on April 1, 2022 [14 favorites]
NYT investigation in 2021 (archive.today) that introduces Christian Smalls.
Amazon has been saturating the ads market this year with the message about their $15 minimum hourly wage. I wonder if just maybe the wage/benefit boost isn't as great as it seems and has boosted support for unionization.
posted by bendy at 8:02 PM on April 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
Amazon has been saturating the ads market this year with the message about their $15 minimum hourly wage. I wonder if just maybe the wage/benefit boost isn't as great as it seems and has boosted support for unionization.
posted by bendy at 8:02 PM on April 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
I think the precedent set in Staten Island will still help other sites, even ones in areas without as much outside support for unions.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:17 PM on April 1, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:17 PM on April 1, 2022 [6 favorites]
15/hr, or even a lot more than that, is never going to make up for never getting enough time for breaks to eat or piss. Hell yeah they need unions.
posted by emjaybee at 9:56 PM on April 1, 2022 [15 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 9:56 PM on April 1, 2022 [15 favorites]
Foster's Organizing Methods in the Steel Industry is available online (& linked in the article's sidebar), at marxists.org. Public Domain: Marxist Internet Archive 2019. This work is completely free.
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:59 PM on April 1, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:59 PM on April 1, 2022 [8 favorites]
I hope this union gets plenty of support because there is going to be a campaign with very deep pockets indeed drawing on a global pool of shitheels prepared to do anything to discredit them.
posted by aesop at 2:11 AM on April 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by aesop at 2:11 AM on April 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
So proud of them!
posted by obfuscation at 4:53 AM on April 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by obfuscation at 4:53 AM on April 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've just been bingeing Severance, and this is a wonderful counter.
posted by flabdablet at 5:41 AM on April 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 5:41 AM on April 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
Change, particularly change through the solidarity of the oppressed, is always impossible until it's inevitable.
Something that has always been inevitable, however, is me linking to a 2011 Mountain Goats cover of a Billy Bragg song in this thread.
posted by howfar at 6:28 AM on April 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
Something that has always been inevitable, however, is me linking to a 2011 Mountain Goats cover of a Billy Bragg song in this thread.
posted by howfar at 6:28 AM on April 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
there is going to be a campaign with very deep pockets indeed drawing on a global pool of shitheels prepared to do anything to discredit them.
Fundamentally, this is true of all unions. Look at the coverage of union issues in pretty much the entirety of the mainstream media, for starters. Consider law: there are anti-union or anti-strike laws in nearly all jurisdictions, and many (most?) of the most blatant excesses and abrogations of duty by police and courts are the result of anti-union policy and bias, usually concealed by a misinformation campaign. Think of the description of the dreadful depiction of 'The Scowrers' and the glowing portrait of the Pinkerton infiltrator in Doyle's The Valley of Fear, and compare it with this contemporary description (by a local judge) of the 1876 trials of the Molly Maguires, reporting of whose story was the basis for Doyle's account:
I do understand the impulse, in a dark world, to urge caution about reasons for hope. Caution is exceptionally well-warranted. But I think it is important that such cautions are fairly sharply focused on the specifics of the issue, to avoid seeming like a superfluous observation that lots of bad things still exist even though something good happened.
posted by howfar at 7:39 AM on April 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
Fundamentally, this is true of all unions. Look at the coverage of union issues in pretty much the entirety of the mainstream media, for starters. Consider law: there are anti-union or anti-strike laws in nearly all jurisdictions, and many (most?) of the most blatant excesses and abrogations of duty by police and courts are the result of anti-union policy and bias, usually concealed by a misinformation campaign. Think of the description of the dreadful depiction of 'The Scowrers' and the glowing portrait of the Pinkerton infiltrator in Doyle's The Valley of Fear, and compare it with this contemporary description (by a local judge) of the 1876 trials of the Molly Maguires, reporting of whose story was the basis for Doyle's account:
The Molly Maguire trials were a surrender of state sovereignty. A private corporation initiated the investigation through a private detective agency. A private police force arrested the alleged defenders, and private attorneys for the coal companies prosecuted them. The state provided only the courtroom and the gallows.Such stories go back for as far as labour has organised. Persistent opposition to labour organisation, in particular, and working class solidarity in general are just the conditions of the struggle. Capitalism can't survive without doing an immense amount of work to prevent us from self-organising. Modern consumer capitalism directs exceptional power against it on effectively every level...and yet two days ago this union didn't exist and today it does.
I do understand the impulse, in a dark world, to urge caution about reasons for hope. Caution is exceptionally well-warranted. But I think it is important that such cautions are fairly sharply focused on the specifics of the issue, to avoid seeming like a superfluous observation that lots of bad things still exist even though something good happened.
posted by howfar at 7:39 AM on April 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
A big difference between Staten Island and Alabama is that NYC is a much more pro-union place. The courts are more supportive, the labor relations board (NLRB region 2) actually has power, and the city as a whole has a pro-union culture.
This is purely anecdata, and comically old anecdata at that, but I know someone who worked at a factory in AL ~40 years ago that rejected a union drive. The pitch from the unions was that there were workers in other factories doing the exact same work for twice the pay; the counter-argument was that if the AL factory unionized it would be shut down. The second argument was more compelling to the local workforce, and they were probably right. Amazon seems different to me -- if nothing else, part of their quick ship distribution model requires a bunch of fulfillment centers everywhere -- but the Southeast is so anti-worker* that I'm not surprised that the first Amazon union came into existence somewhere else.
*Not comically old anecdata: I know someone who recently lost use of his hand from a workplace accident! I assumed he would at least end up with a quarter-million dollar settlement to dissuade him from suing the pants off the company (they deserved it). I didn't realize AL had passed a suite of psychotic tort law protections that meant if he had DIED the total settlement would've been capped at $500K. The laws prevent workers from suing their employers even when the employer is obviously at fault through poor equipment maintenance, safety standards, etc. AL workers who suspect that no one is looking after them are correct, but unfortunately there's no sense that unionization might change that.
posted by grandiloquiet at 8:27 AM on April 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
This is purely anecdata, and comically old anecdata at that, but I know someone who worked at a factory in AL ~40 years ago that rejected a union drive. The pitch from the unions was that there were workers in other factories doing the exact same work for twice the pay; the counter-argument was that if the AL factory unionized it would be shut down. The second argument was more compelling to the local workforce, and they were probably right. Amazon seems different to me -- if nothing else, part of their quick ship distribution model requires a bunch of fulfillment centers everywhere -- but the Southeast is so anti-worker* that I'm not surprised that the first Amazon union came into existence somewhere else.
*Not comically old anecdata: I know someone who recently lost use of his hand from a workplace accident! I assumed he would at least end up with a quarter-million dollar settlement to dissuade him from suing the pants off the company (they deserved it). I didn't realize AL had passed a suite of psychotic tort law protections that meant if he had DIED the total settlement would've been capped at $500K. The laws prevent workers from suing their employers even when the employer is obviously at fault through poor equipment maintenance, safety standards, etc. AL workers who suspect that no one is looking after them are correct, but unfortunately there's no sense that unionization might change that.
posted by grandiloquiet at 8:27 AM on April 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
A big difference between Staten Island and Alabama is that NYC is a much more pro-union place. The courts are more supportive, the labor relations board (NLRB region 2) actually has power, and the city as a whole has a pro-union culture.
Well, duh.
Those things my be true, but don't really explain the vote. The question isn't up to the courts or the city or even the regional NLRB. What makes up the difference, even after a second chance vote within a few months? From this outsiders view, there's little to lose, really. Fear of retribution of some kind, outside of work? Distrust of unions among actual potential members?
This is purely anecdata, and comically old anecdata at that, but I know someone who worked at a factory in AL ~40 years ago that rejected a union drive. The pitch from the unions was that there were workers in other factories doing the exact same work for twice the pay; the counter-argument was that if the AL factory unionized it would be shut down. The second argument was more compelling to the local workforce, and they were probably right. Amazon seems different to me -- if nothing else, part of their quick ship distribution model requires a bunch of fulfillment centers everywhere -- but the Southeast is so anti-worker* that I'm not surprised that the first Amazon union came into existence somewhere else.
This is one of the things I think traditionally worked against unionization, and not without basis. Much manufacturing moved to the South precisely because of labor costs. And as time went by manufacturing in the South found itself competing with places like China. But the Amazon distribution model relies on regional/local hubs. Which gives their workers more leverage than manufacturing did.
posted by 2N2222 at 9:10 AM on April 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
Well, duh.
Those things my be true, but don't really explain the vote. The question isn't up to the courts or the city or even the regional NLRB. What makes up the difference, even after a second chance vote within a few months? From this outsiders view, there's little to lose, really. Fear of retribution of some kind, outside of work? Distrust of unions among actual potential members?
This is purely anecdata, and comically old anecdata at that, but I know someone who worked at a factory in AL ~40 years ago that rejected a union drive. The pitch from the unions was that there were workers in other factories doing the exact same work for twice the pay; the counter-argument was that if the AL factory unionized it would be shut down. The second argument was more compelling to the local workforce, and they were probably right. Amazon seems different to me -- if nothing else, part of their quick ship distribution model requires a bunch of fulfillment centers everywhere -- but the Southeast is so anti-worker* that I'm not surprised that the first Amazon union came into existence somewhere else.
This is one of the things I think traditionally worked against unionization, and not without basis. Much manufacturing moved to the South precisely because of labor costs. And as time went by manufacturing in the South found itself competing with places like China. But the Amazon distribution model relies on regional/local hubs. Which gives their workers more leverage than manufacturing did.
posted by 2N2222 at 9:10 AM on April 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
Coverage by The City includes discussion of what warehouses the workers will organize next.
posted by brainwane at 9:20 AM on April 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by brainwane at 9:20 AM on April 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
I was amazed how close the vote was: 2,654 in favor of forming to 2,131 against with only about half of eligible workers voting. That doesn't scream wide margin to me. My union won't even try a certification vote unless we think we have at least 60% of eligible votes.
posted by Mitheral at 9:36 AM on April 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Mitheral at 9:36 AM on April 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
Isn't Staten Island a Republican stronghold and/or where all the NYPD cops actually live?
posted by acb at 9:44 AM on April 2, 2022
posted by acb at 9:44 AM on April 2, 2022
Ahh the classic banger:
Money speaks for money
The Devil for his own
Who comes to speak for the skin and the bone?
posted by praemunire at 10:24 AM on April 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Money speaks for money
The Devil for his own
Who comes to speak for the skin and the bone?
posted by praemunire at 10:24 AM on April 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Isn't Staten Island a Republican stronghold and/or where all the NYPD cops actually live?
Yes, in fact you could think of it as Brooklyn with an Alabama accent.
posted by mikelieman at 1:52 PM on April 2, 2022
Yes, in fact you could think of it as Brooklyn with an Alabama accent.
posted by mikelieman at 1:52 PM on April 2, 2022
Ahh the classic banger
Almost the platonic ideal Billy Bragg song. "I have this one really great line, now how can I cram as many ideas about [unions] into every other line of the song as I possibly can?"
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 9:28 AM on April 3, 2022
Almost the platonic ideal Billy Bragg song. "I have this one really great line, now how can I cram as many ideas about [unions] into every other line of the song as I possibly can?"
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 9:28 AM on April 3, 2022
The Staten Island Amazon hired Global Strategy Group, an influential Democratic consultant firm to fight the union. So that probably helped. For the union question, remember to vote pokemon no!
posted by Iax at 8:54 PM on April 3, 2022
posted by Iax at 8:54 PM on April 3, 2022
Almost the platonic ideal Billy Bragg song. "I have this one really great line, now how can I cram as many ideas about [unions] into every other line of the song as I possibly can?"
Yes, it's almost there, and only misses out because a truly ideal Billy Bragg song would have wordplay: it has the punditry but not the pundittry, n'est-ce pas?
posted by howfar at 9:03 AM on April 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Yes, it's almost there, and only misses out because a truly ideal Billy Bragg song would have wordplay: it has the punditry but not the pundittry, n'est-ce pas?
posted by howfar at 9:03 AM on April 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
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Honestly, this makes wish I had a chance to join a union. The spirit and inclusion in these recent movements is wonderful.
At the least, I am going to read the book referenced. Maybe I will find information to help sway the thinking of any non-union people I happen to cross paths with.
posted by Silvery Fish at 6:19 PM on April 1, 2022 [24 favorites]