NYC Amazon Workers Sue Labor Union, Alleging Improper Election Practices
Molly Bohannon Forbes Staff Jul 11, 2023,12:50pm EDT More than 40 Amazon Labor Union members in New York City are suing the union and its president, Chris Smalls, alleging that he is violating the union’s constitution by handpicking an executive board rather than letting members vote to fill leadership posts, while also changing bylaws and threatening disciplinary action against union members who don’t support his decisions—marking the latest setback in Amazon workers’ “fledgling” organizing effort. Amazon JFK8 distribution center union organizer Jason Anthony speaks to media during the voting ... [+] COPYRIGHT 2022 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED . Workers allege Smalls—who led the union to win its election to officially organize in 2022, making it the first Amazon union in the United States—and his “hand-picked executive board” are “hijacking” the union by refusing to hold member meetings, amending the Amazon Labor Union constitution “to keep themselves in power indefinitely,” threatening opponents, and refusing “all efforts to have a fair, democratic, election,” according to the filing . Members expressed concern in the lawsuit that Smalls’ leadership has hurt the “fledgling” union, saying he’s “created such internal union disarray that no legitimate body is available to conduct fair and democratic elections in the union.” The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction requiring Smalls accept nominations for union leadership positions no later than August 10 and host an election to fill the positions no later than August 30. Arthur Schwartz, legal representation for the members of the union suing, told Forbes they attempted to mediate before filing suit, but leadership cancelled mediation efforts; he said the reaction from union leadership so far has been to threaten to sue him and remove people from the union “for making false assertions, but not to really address the fundamental issue of having an election.” Forbes has reached out to the union for comment. “Unless this Court intervenes, an election will not be held, and no one within the squabbling Executive Board is capable of conducting a fair and democratic election,” reads the lawsuit . Smalls told the New York Times Monday that the complaint from union members was “a ridiculous claim with zero facts or merit.” A law firm for the union said it would seek legal sanctions against the filing group’s lawyer if the complaint was filed, the Times reported . The Amazon Labor Union, representing about 8,000 workers in a New York City warehouse, is the only Amazon union in the United States. It won an election held by the National Labor Relations Board to officially organize in 2022, but has yet to be recognized by the Jeff Bezos-founded company that hasn’t started negotiations with the union. Amazon sued to challenge recognition of the union, but a judge ruled in favor of the union in January; an Amazon spokesperson told Reuters the company would appeal as it doesn’t “believe this election process was fair, legitimate, or representative of the majority of what our team wants.” Tension has been growing between members of the Staten Island-based warehouse union and leadership since last fall, when a number of Amazon Labor Union organizers grew frustrated after other unionization efforts failed in New York. At that point, some members argued that there needed to be a leadership election because they felt current leadership, including Smalls, were taking on too much and struggling to control all the various efforts and tasks that came with leading and growing the union. Although unionization was successful at the Staten Island warehouse, it has yet to be successful elsewhere, with two other unionization efforts failing in New York in the last year. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/07/11/nyc-amazon-workers-sue-labor-union-alleging-improper-election-practices/