David vs Goliath: Fired Amazon Worker Claims Victory in Movement for Historic Unionization

When he was fired over a year ago, Christian Smalls’ struggle against the company that had employed him for five years seemed like a story that would end like so many others were people tried to do the moral thing, only to ultimately bow before the system as it stands. As it stood however, Smalls had other plans as he kept in touch with his peers at work and planned a movement that saw Amazon recognize its first ever workers union in the United States.
In the midst of COVID-19’s peak in March of 2020, Smalls and his coworkers were alarmed to find out that there were no safety precautions being taken by JFK8, the New Jersey Amazon packing location where Smalls was employed in order to ensure the safety of their workers during a still virtually unknown pandemic. Amazon terminated Smalls’ position following him showing up to walk-out when he was supposed to be under quarantine due to contact exposure.
Small’s would make the case in the forthcoming legal proceedings that if he had to quarantine due to close contact exposure, the packing center should be closed as well since all of the workers operate in such a close proximity to one another. It was to this end that Smalls and his contributing peers founded the Amazon Labor Union (ALU).
In a 55% majority vote, Amazon workers choose to unionize in support of the ALU, according to a poll conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, or NLRB. This marked the first ever labor union in the history of the privately owned company, a historic victory for United States organized labor factions. Despite feelings of victory in Smalls’ camp however, Amazon’s response illustrated their frustration with the unionization.
“We’re disappointed with the outcome of the election in Staten Island because we believe having a direct relationship with the company is best for our employees,” Amazon said in a statement.
Despite the victory on behalf of the workers, there’s still work to be done before negotiations can even begin for better working conditions for workers in the JFK8 facility. If Smalls’ vision for the future is any indication however, he won’t stop until Amazon centers around the country make themselves aware of the opportunities that a union could provide for them.
“It’s almost like a David and Goliath type of victory,” said Dan Cornfield, a labor expert and professor of sociology at Vanderbilt University. “There’s already a wave (of activism) occurring, and this will encourage more of that.”
This is a sentiment that many people over social media have shared and championed as Smalls, an African American man, has become the face for unionization of one the largest corporations in the world.
Following the historic vote to unionize, Smalls had this to say to the crowd awaiting outside:
“We did whatever it took to connect with these workers…I hope that everybody’s paying attention now because a lot of people doubted us,” said Smalls in exasperation as he regarded the crowd who had come out to witness the results of the vote that took place this past Friday.
While this victory is significant in terms of momentum for labor unions across the nation, it is only the first step of many that Small has outlined to unionize Amazon facilities down the Eastern coast. If Amazon’s reply is statement is any indication however, they will hard pressed to allow such a scenario to happen as easy again.