New York City
Nov. 30 — In Manhattan today, Amazon Labor Union President Chris Smalls led a picket line outside the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, where Amazon CEO Andy Jass was a scheduled speaker.
President Chris Smalls leads Amazon Labor Union members and supporters in chants Nov. 30, Columbus Circle, New York City. WW Photo: Tony Murphy
The summit was a meeting of war criminals and job-killing billionaires — people like FTX cryptocurrency finagler Sam Bankman-Fried and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, murderer of Palestinians — as well as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Jassy, both of whom are responsible for tens of thousands of layoffs.
Smalls used the criminal bourgeois get-together and media attention to demand Jassy recognize and negotiate with the ALU. For several hours, Smalls and ALU supporters rallied in the rain, chanting “Union busting is disgusting!” and “What do we want? Contract!”
At one point Smalls spoke forcefully into the bullhorn, “Andy Jassy, come on out, baby! We got some contract negotiating to do!” He was joined by members of unions including Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), as well as supporters from Workers Assembly Against Racism, Workers World Party, People’s General Strike, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Democratic Socialists (DSA) and others.
Since Jassy began his tenure as Amazon CEO at the beginning of 2022, the e-commerce giant has used highly paid union busters to suppress the rights of its workers, harass organizers and delay bargaining required by law. The company has been charged with multiple Unfair Labor Practices for its unlawful treatment of Amazon employees at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island.
Last week in a rare move, a federal judge filed a national “cease and desist” order against Amazon, prohibiting the company from violating the rights of workers engaged in union organizing. In October, Jassy was personally cited by the National Labor Relations Board for violating labor law and interfering with the rights of Amazon workers.
Jassy and billionaires like Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz are trying to resist the just demands of successful union campaigns, by refusing to negotiate with the unions their workers voted for and by firing workers at will.
The ALU is holding them accountable!