They did it despite the odds being never in their favor.
Workers at a Staten Island warehouse voted in favor of unionizing, according to vote counts published on social media. They will join the independent Amazon Labor Union.
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Chris Smalls started the ALU because he was fired from Amazon for organizing. The last box of ballots had 2,050 Yes votes and 1,574 No votes.
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We worked, had fun, and made history, according to Smalls.
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The win is notable not just because it is the first vote to unionize an Amazon facility, but because of the tremendous fight Amazon has been putting up against unionization efforts. Amazon has been accused of employing union busting tactics, and it has been shown that the company spent $4.3 million on anti-union consulting.
We are disappointed with the outcome of the election in Staten Island because we believe having a direct relationship with the company is best for our employees, according to a statement posted in response to the results. Amazon accused the National Labor Relations Board of being inappropriate and undue influence in its statement.
There is a second Amazon unionization effort in Alabama. The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) has organized those workers. Since the National Labor Relations Board found that Amazon had interfered in the election, a re-vote was ordered. Workers voted against unionizing by a wide margin. The outcome of the vote is dependent on the results of the contested ballots, according to the RWDSU.
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Workers in favor of unionizing in Alabama have reason to be hopeful. According to the Washington Post, there were dozens of organizers and a true grassroots effort.
The work that went into the vote was praised on the social networking site. Smalls supporters popped a bottle of champagne.
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The organizers still have a lot of work to do with Amazon planning to contest the vote. We will see if Amazon is a match for the ALU now that they have come this far.
UPDATE: Apr. 1, 2022, 2:50 p.m. EDT This article was updated to include a statement from Amazon as well as more context about the vote.
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