There is an election this week at an 800-person warehouse in upstate New York.
A federal labor official recently endorsed the union's election victory at a Staten Island warehouse, which Amazon has challenged, creating an opportunity to add supporters and pressure the company to bargain.
The union is facing questions about whether it can translate such opportunities into lasting gains. After its victory at the Staten Island warehouse, the union seemed to be out of it's depth. It lost a vote at a Staten Island warehouse in May.
When high turnover means the union must do constant outreach just to maintain support, it has neglected organizing inside the original warehouse, known as JFK 8. Christian Smalls, the union president and a former JFK8 employee, was distracted as he traveled. Several core members were pushed out of the group due to infighting.
A JFK8 worker and the union's communications director said that it wasn't clear what goal they should be working towards.
The election near Albany, which will be spread out over four days between Wednesday and Monday in Castleton-on- Hudson, could help determine if the earlier problems were natural growing pains or a sign of deeper problem.
Amazon doesn't think that the Amazon Labor Union represents workers' views. Over the next year, the company will invest $1 billion to raise hourly pay.
In recent months, the union has diverted its attention to counter Amazon's attempt to overturn its victory, which consumed time and resources, as supporters and leaders testified in hearings that dragged across 24 business days. The union was going to train more workers to organize. The call was put on hold.
The National Labor Relations Board recommended rejecting Amazon's challenge just before Labor Day. An official must still make a decision.
Management sent workers a message saying the company intended to appeal the finding and that it appeared to bolster the union. The message said that a direct relationship was best.
The union started to focus. In August, it opened an office on Staten Island and hired two full-time staff members. "I think we are in a better place than we have ever been," he said.
Labor organizers were brought in by the union to teach them how to push for a contract. The organization finally held two calls to recruit and train leaders.
"Your building could be next, and that is why we are having this call," said a lead Amazon Labor Union organizer on one call. Workers who said they were from Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio and Washington participated.
The union, which says it has set aside about one-fifth of its more than half-million-dollar budget for expansion, is already backing other organizing campaigns. After meeting Mr. Smalls at a party in Hollywood, she decided that the Amazon Labor Union understood where she was coming from.
In September, Amazon promised to raise hourly wages by more than $1 in many warehouses. The raise at JFK8 was between 25 cents and 75 cents an hour, depending on levels and tenure.
An employee of the warehouse said that buying groceries wasn't enough. If they didn't say anything, it would be better.
The slim raise at a barbecue outside the warehouse that had been planned for an afternoon was emphasized by the union. Mr. Smalls said that the union was not going to fall for the 25-cent raise.
The petition demanded that Amazon give workers on Staten Island an immediate cost-of- living wage increase. Brandon Wagner, a packer who said that he had worked at the warehouse for about a month and that he previously made $17 an hour at a Wendy's, signed the petition while waiting in line.
Paul Flaningan, an Amazon spokesman, said that the national average pay for most frontline jobs was more than $19 an hour and that the company offered comprehensive benefits for full-time employees.
There are many obstacles facing the union. The election result on Staten Island could be appealed by Amazon for years. More than 60 employees were suspended with pay by Amazon after they protested the company's response to a fire. Amazon said most of the workers had returned to work after the union charged them with unfair labor practices.
Near Albany, the union has its most visible test.
Many of the workers who work at the warehouse cited safety concerns and said they were paid too little because of the difficulty of their job. The base wage for new workers was $15.70 an hour before it was increased.
Amazon was accused of being too quick to discipline workers.
A misunderstanding over a quota led to David Bornt being written up. He said that a union could help.
Mr Bornt said that it was someone to have your back. One of my children is on the way. I don't have to worry about losing my job anytime soon.
Some employees opposed the union because they were satisfied with their pay and benefits, while others didn't see how a union could improve the situation.
One worker said there was no need for it. We just received a raise.
According to government data, Albany is one of the most unionized metropolitan areas in the country. Some people said they were less interested in joining another union because of their previous experience. The Amazon Labor Union was distrusted by a number of people.
One of the employees said that the A.L.U. is new. They aren't giving us any info.
The outcome of the election could affect the perception of the union. Mr. Smalls has gone there before.
Ms. Goodall joined Amazon to help organize the warehouse because she was concerned about high injury rates. Two days after the JFK8 fire, the facility was evacuated due to a cardboard compactor catching fire.
It's important to fix things before something terrible happens.
She accused Amazon of running an aggressive anti-union campaign, including regular meetings with employees in which it questions the union's credibility, and suggesting that workers could end up worse off if they unionize.
While injuries increased as Amazon trained hundreds of thousands of new workers, the company believed that it had a better safety record than other retailers over a longer period of time.
He said that the meetings are held because it is important that everyone understands the facts about joining a union.
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