Amazon Labor Union Moves To Affiliate With The Teamsters Union Amid Struggles

The Amazon Labor Union, a grassroots labor group that won a huge victory at an Amazon warehouse two years ago, has agreed to associate with the Teamsters union, a decision that will breathe new life into the faltering organization.

Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien announced the affiliation at the union’s general executive board meeting in Washington on Tuesday, according to a post on X.

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Amazon Labor Union Moves To Affiliate With The Teamsters Union Amid Struggles

According to the deal, if ratified, members of the Amazon Labor Union, who work in a single warehouse on Staten Island in New York City, will essentially join the Teamsters as an “autonomous” local union with the same rights and duties as a normal chapter.

The Teamsters said its board has already unanimously authorized the affiliation, bringing them closer to organizing Amazon’s non-corporate personnel.

In a post on X, Amazon Labor Union President Chris Smalls stated that the labor group was joining forces “with one of the most powerful unions to take on Amazon together.”

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Amazon Labor Union Moves To Affiliate With The Teamsters Union Amid Struggles

“Our message is clear: we want a contract, and we want it now,” Smalls wrote, alluding to the union contract that his organization has yet to secure more than two years after becoming the only one to ever win a labor victory at an Amazon warehouse in the United States.

Since then, the ALU has encountered numerous hurdles, including two election losses at additional Amazon warehouses and internal disagreements over its organizing tactics. Some organizers have quit to create the ALU Democratic Reform Caucus, a dissident group that sued the union last year to force new leadership elections. According to Arthur Schwartz, an attorney who represents the dissident group, the election is anticipated to take place in July outside of the warehouse where the workers voted to unionize.

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Amazon Labor Union Moves To Affiliate With The Teamsters Union Amid Struggles

The agreement that the leaders of both organizations announced is already facing opposition within the caucus. Schwartz stated that the Teamsters want the ALU membership to ratify the revised deal before the union’s internal leadership election in July. However, he stated that this would be difficult because the ALU needs an updated list of members, which the caucus has been seeking for the ongoing internal election.

Amazon and Teamsters representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

SOURCE – (AP)