The Amazon Workers Union, the company’s first group of workers organized at a U.S. warehouse, announced Tuesday it had taken steps to join the International Teamsters fraternal union.
The ALU formed in 2021 as a grassroots group of current and former workers and gained national attention two years ago when it won a historic union election at the facility in Staten Island, New York, known as JFK8.
The ALU was originally founded as an independent organisation to avoid major unions, but the group has had difficulty negotiating contracts with unions. AmazonThe group is seeking to overturn the 2022 election results, causing a rift between leader Chris Smalls and ALU members. Sued the union last year, Blame They violated the ALU’s bylaws and asked a Brooklyn court to force union officials to hold elections for union officials.
Aligning with the Teamsters, one of the largest labor unions in the U.S., could give the ALU additional leverage in accelerating negotiations with Amazon. The Teamsters, founded in 1903, has long tried to organize Amazon warehouse and delivery workers and in 2021 created an Amazon division to support and fund unionization efforts for the company’s workers.
in Post by XThe Teamsters announced the partnership was unanimously approved by the union’s board of directors on Tuesday. Smalls said in a text message that the partnership agreement is provisional until ALU and Teamsters members vote to approve it.
The decision has already drawn pushback from the ALU Caucus for Democratic Reform, which sued the ALU last year. Caucus attorney Arthur Schwartz said it was unclear how the ALU could hold a membership vote to approve an affiliation with the Teamsters when it “doesn’t have a roster of employees, much less a roster of members.”
In March, ALU members voted to hold an election to choose new union officials. Smalls said he does not plan to run for re-election as ALU president. That election will be held in person outside JFK8 in July, Schwartz said.
The Teamsters declined to comment further. An Amazon spokesman also declined to comment.
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