Shaun Richman, contributor to In These Times magazine, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the recent successful unionization vote of Amazon workers at a Staten Island Fulfillment Center and what it means for the labor movement.
Richman, the former Deputy Director of Organizing for the American Federation of Teachers, spent a decade and a half as a union organizer and representative.
The successful campaign marked the first time Amazon workers at a U.S. facility voted to unionize. Richman explained why the historical vote should make union organizers across America do some serious soul searching.
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU), an independent union founded by the Staten Island workers, made several surprising moves that fascinated labor organizers, Richman said.
First, the company pursued an election with the National Labor Relations Board with only 30 percent worker support. Most union organizing directors wait for larger approval ratings because they always expect some support will be whittled down through management’s union busting efforts. However, ALU pushed for a vote early in its campaign in order to unfreeze voter lists and do more direct campaigning, Richman noted.
Second, the ALU ran an independent campaign in order to give Amazon workers greater power to make the election happen, he said. In the end, the union ran a great campaign and did something unprecedented, which will likely encourage more Amazon workers across the country to unionize, he added.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about the successful ALU organizing campaign.