John,
Jeff Bezos, the third richest man on Earth, can accumulate more in a single day than an Amazon worker earns in a decade. Meanwhile, Amazon’s warehouse workers are paid so little that nearly a quarter rely on SNAP to feed their families.
That reality is what drove workers at the Staten Island warehouse to unionize in April 2022, forming the Amazon Labor Union, ALU-IBT Local 1. But after years of fighting against Amazon’s steady stream of union busting actions, the Staten Island warehouse remains the only unionized Amazon facility in the United States.
Workplace injuries at Amazon far exceed the industry average, so workers created the Amazon Workers’ Safety Bill of Rights, demanding the most basic guarantees: safe staffing levels, proper equipment, humane workspaces, and a manageable pace of work. They asked to meet with management to negotiate fair wages and safer conditions — as every unionized worker has the right to do.
But instead of recognizing the union or sitting down with them even once to negotiate in good faith, Amazon has joined a lawsuit to have the National Labor Relations Board declared unconstitutional while continuing to union-bust and refusing to negotiate with the ALU.
Since Bezos continues to ignore ALU-IBT Local 1, the time has come to send a clear message to Amazon’s board of directors: Stop the illegal union-busting and come to the bargaining table. They must guarantee that workers who engage in protected collective action are able to return to work without harassment.
Tell Amazon’s board that customers don’t want low prices built on the suffering of employees. Stop union busting and meet with the Amazon Labor Union now!
Amazon’s refusal to meet with its workers is in blatant disregard of the legal obligations employers have to their employees under the National Labor Relations Act.
But workers are fighting back. What’s happening in Staten Island is not just a local dispute — it’s a national harbinger of how workers at one of the most powerful companies on the globe can stand up for their basic rights.
The Amazon Labor Union isn’t asking for anything the company can’t easily afford. They’re asking for fair wages, predictable schedules, and a workplace where safety matters. Their fight is part of a nationwide struggle for fair pay, dignity on the job, and workplaces that value human beings over quarterly earnings.
Tell the Amazon board: It’s time to recognize the Amazon Labor Union now!
Thank you for demanding the fair and just treatment of the workers who make Amazon what it is.
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
