THERE IS POWER IN A UNION

Amazon Union Drive on Staten Island Heats Up with Election Petition Filing

Organizers of the fledgling union, some wearing ‘Squid Game’ costumes, filed election paperwork with Brooklyn’s National Labor Relations Board.

Organizers representing thousands of employees at four Amazon warehouses on Staten Island have officially filed a petition for a union election on Monday, Brooklyn’s National Labor Relations Board said. The drive to collect the necessary 2,000 signatures was led by former Amazon employee Chris Smalls, who was fired in March 2020 after organizing a workers’ rights protest. Smalls and other organizers delivered the petition in person to the agency’s downtown Brooklyn office. Some were dressed in costumes resembling those worn on ‘Squid Game,’ the hit Netflix show. “The underlying message of the series is workers coming together and fighting back against the high-ups,” Smalls said on behalf of the workers who support the formation of the association, named the Amazon Labor Union. “That’s exactly what we are doing. Taking on a behemoth.” It was not immediately clear when an election might be held should regulators authorize the petition. Amazon declined to comment.