Amazon’s first U.S. labor union moves to affiliate with Teamsters

The Amazon Labor Union, the first group of Amazon employees to organize at a warehouse in the United States, announced on Tuesday that it has begun the process of becoming affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

The ALU, founded in 2021 as a grassroots group of current and former workers, gained national attention two years ago when it won a historic union election on Staten Island, New York, at a facility known as JFK8.

The ALU initially rejected major labor unions, establishing itself as an independent organization. The ALU has faced challenges in negotiating a contract with Amazon, which aimed to overturn the 2022 election results. This has led to disagreements between leader Chris Smalls and ALU members. Last year, a group of former members sued the union, accusing it of violating the ALU’s constitution and requesting that a Brooklyn court order an election for union officers.

Aligning with the Teamsters, one of the largest labor unions in the United States, could give the ALU more clout to begin negotiations with Amazon. The Teamsters, which was founded in 1903, has long sought to organize Amazon warehouse and delivery workers, and in 2021, the organization established an Amazon division to support and fund workers’ unionization efforts.

In a post on X, the Teamsters stated that the union’s board unanimously approved the affiliation on Tuesday. Smalls said in a text message that the affiliation agreement is tentative until members of the ALU and Teamsters vote to ratify it.

The decision has already sparked criticism from the ALU Democratic Reform Caucus, which sued the ALU last year. According to Arthur Schwartz, an attorney for the caucus, it is unclear how the ALU will hold a membership vote to ratify the Teamsters affiliation given that it “doesn’t possess a list of employees, much less a membership list.”

ALU members voted in March to elect new union officers. Smalls has stated that he does not intend to run for reelection as ALU president. Schwartz predicted that the election would take place in person outside of JFK8 in July.

The Teamsters declined to comment further. Amazon’s spokesperson also declined to comment.