Unlike traditional unions, the Amazon Labor Union relied almost entirely on current and former workers rather than professional organizers; for financing, it turned to GoFundMe; the word was spread in a break room and at low-key barbecues
Employees in line to vote on unionization, at Amazon’s JFK8 fulfillment center on Staten Island, March 25, 2022. After the stunning victory at Amazon by a little-known independent union that didn’t exist 18 months ago, organized labor has begun to ask itself: Does the labor movement need to get more disorganized? (DeSean McClinton-Holland/The New York Times)
After the stunning victory at Amazon by a little-known independent union that didn’t exist 18 months ago, organized labor has begun to ask itself an increasingly pressing question: Does the labor movement need to get more disorganized?
Unlike traditional unions, the Amazon Labor Union relied almost entirely on current and former workers rather than professional organizers in its campaign at a warehouse on Staten Island in New York City. For financing, it turned to GoFundMe appeals rather than union coffers built from the dues of existing members. It spread the word in a break room and at low-key barbecues outside the warehouse.
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