Amazon Labor Union Crushed in Albany

Since the amazing Amazon Labor Union victory in Staten Island in the spring, we’ve seen two things happen. First, Chris Smalls, who led that campaign, became a national celebrity in the labor movement, one that he very much embraced. There’s hardly been a big labor event since where Smalls doesn’t show up. Second, the ALU has made no progress in building on their victory and have been crushed when trying elsewhere. That now includes a devastating defeat in Albany, where the vote was such a blowout that it basically falls into “Any organizer could walk in and hand everyone a union card and get this many people to sign up” level.

Workers at an Amazon facility near Albany, N.Y., have voted decisively against being represented by the upstart Amazon Labor Union, denting efforts to expand unionization across the giant e-commerce company.

Employees at the warehouse cast 206 votes to be represented by the union and 406 against, according to a count released on Tuesday by the National Labor Relations Board. Almost 950 workers were eligible to vote.

Basically, slightly over 20 percent of the workers voted yes. 20 percent!!!! That’s terrible. And sure, Amazon absolutely used their anti-union campaign. But this isn’t the kind of vote any responsible union would go through with. You know when you are going to win or lose. You might run an election you think you are going to win and then you lose it. That’s definitely where the corporate propaganda makes a big difference. But when you are getting 20 percent of workers to vote yes? That’s just not organizing.

In recent months, the Amazon Labor Union has debated whether to focus on winning a contract at the Staten Island facility, known as JFK8, or on expanding its reach to other warehouses around the country through additional elections.

Christian Smalls, the union’s president, “is very much in favor of trying to create opportunities for as many workers as possible to vote,” said Cassio Mendoza, a JFK8 worker and the union’s communications director. At the same time, the union has felt pressure to demonstrate progress to workers on Staten Island, and has recently stepped up its internal organizing there after months of minimal public activity.

The result on Tuesday from the ALB1 warehouse in Castleton-on-Hudson, N.Y., about 10 miles south of Albany, did not appear to dissuade the union from reaching beyond JFK8.

Months of doing nothing because Chris Smalls was appearing at every labor event around the country, including Labor Notes, being feted as a hero and the future of the labor movement instead of actually winning anything but an initial vote.

There are lots of problems with independent unions and this is very much indicative of that. Discipline is lacking.

“We are filled with resolve to continue and expand our campaign for fair treatment for all Amazon workers,” Mr. Smalls said in a statement. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

This is like me entering an NBA game and shooting 30 footers.