Chris Smalls, the president of the first union at an Amazon warehouse in the U.S., believes that the labor movement and unions as a whole are making progress. When he visits classrooms, he is pleased to find that even 10-year-old students know who Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, is and are critical of him. Smalls sees this as a positive sign for the future of workers’ rights. Smalls, who gained recognition as a leader in the effort to unionize Amazon’s warehouse workforce, was fired after organizing a strike at the JFK8 facility in Staten Island. His demand for better cleaning and safety precautions for workers during the COVID-19 pandemic resonated with many Amazon employees.
In 2022, workers at JFK8 voted to form the first union at an Amazon warehouse in the country through the independent organization known as the Amazon Labor Union. However, the union is still working towards securing its first contract with Amazon. Smalls recently spoke at the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO convention, where he shared his experiences and insights with labor leaders and union members. Although he did not directly work with Amazon employees in Washington, he acknowledged the organizing efforts taking place there.
Seattle, where Amazon’s largest corporate hub is located, is a city known for its tech industry and billionaire residents. Smalls noted that winning a unionization battle in such a prominent location would be a historic achievement. However, workplace regulators in Washington have expressed concerns about the conditions in Amazon’s warehouses. The Washington Department of Labor and Industries has cited and fined Amazon multiple times for failing to provide a safe workplace for its employees. Regulators have accused the company of setting an unsafe pace of work that puts workers at risk of injury.
One particular warehouse in Washington, BFI3 in DuPont, has the highest injury rates among all Amazon fulfillment centers in the country. In 2019, it recorded 22 serious injuries for every 100 workers. According to data from the Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of labor unions, Amazon’s warehouses across the country had an average of 7 injuries per 100 workers in 2022. Amazon, however, claims that its own analysis shows a lower injury rate of 6.7 injuries per 200,000 working hours that year. The company has appealed all four citations from Washington state regulators and plans to invest $550 million in safety initiatives in 2023.
Amazon and Washington state regulators are scheduled to go to trial to determine if the company has violated state law and whether changes to its operations are necessary. Smalls, speaking from personal experience, emphasized the importance of holding Amazon accountable for the injuries workers are facing. He expressed his desire to amplify the need for change and ensure the safety of workers.
While Smalls has been a prominent figure in the unionization efforts, he has faced criticism from a dissident group within the Amazon Labor Union. The group filed a complaint in federal court, seeking a leadership election within the union. Despite the internal disputes, Smalls emphasized that the real enemy is Amazon itself and that unity among workers is crucial for success.
Amazon Labor Union has been engaged in a legal battle with the company since the certification of the union last year. Amazon has contested the results of the election and workers have accused the company of interfering with campaigns and retaliating against involved employees. The National Labor Relations Board ruled in January that Amazon had violated federal labor law in its efforts to resist unionization in New York.
While Amazon maintains its stance that unionization is not the best solution to address workers’ concerns, it acknowledges employees’ right to choose. Smalls highlighted the labor regulations in British Columbia that allow workers to participate in a single-step certification process. He urged union members to hold leaders and politicians accountable and criticized union presidents who did not attend the convention or only spoke through recorded videos. Smalls emphasized the need for unions to adapt and expand into new spaces in order to bring about change.
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