New union leader for S.I. Amazon warehouse workers

Workers at Amazon's JFK8 Fulfillment Center on Staten Island, the only one of the e-commerce giant’s U.S. warehouses that is unionized, elected new union leaders, according to a vote count completed Tuesday, marking the first major change for the labor group since it established an alliance with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

A slate of candidates headed up by a former Amazon worker named Connor Spence received the most votes cast by employees from the warehouse located in the New York City borough of Staten Island. Although turnout was very low, Spence received enough support to lead the Amazon Labor Union as it aims to secure a contract with a company that has resisted those efforts for years.

Spence, a prominent organizer with the union, more recently led a dissident group that sued the union last year to force new leadership election amid internal strife. He was fired by Amazon last year for violating a company policy that forbids workers from accessing company buildings or outdoor work areas when they're off the clock, a policy critics say is designed to hinder organizing.

Only 5 percent of the 5,312 workers employed in the warehouse voted by mail-in ballot, said Arthur Schwartz, an attorney who represents the dissident group. Spence received 137 out of 247 votes cast, Schwartz said, defeating a current ALU officer named Claudia Ashterman and another prominent organizer named Michelle Valentin.

"After more than two years of fighting to reform our union to make it more democratic, transparent, and militant, we are relieved to finally be able to turn our attention toward bringing Amazon to the table and winning an incredible contract," Spence said in a statement.

‘Autonomous’ local

Workers at the same warehouse voted overwhelmingly last month to affiliate with the Teamsters union, which agreed to provide the Amazon Labor Union, or ALU, with funding and other types of support until it negotiates a contract with Amazon and begins collecting member dues.

The affiliation agreement, a copy of which was reviewed by The Associated Press, says the ALU will be chartered as an "autonomous" local Teamsters union with the right to organize Amazon warehouse workers across New York City. The union branch, known as ALU-International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1, also is expected to help with organizing Amazon warehouse workers elsewhere and to participate in strategy sessions.

"The question is whether the outcome of the election, plus the Teamster affiliation, can create that kind of momentum needed among the rank-and-file," said Ruth Milkman, a sociologist of labor and labor movements at the City University of New York. "But even if it does, Amazon is going to fight it tooth-and-nail."

Spence will take over the leadership role from Chris Smalls, a former Amazon worker. He spearheaded the first successful U.S. union organizing effort in the retail giant's history in 2022, when workers at the Staten Island warehouse voted in favor of ALU representation.

However, organizers inside the union began questioning Smalls' strategy after the group suffered two subsequent election losses in New York and withdrew a petition for a union vote in California. Some left quietly, while others joined the dissident group headed up by Spence.

Smalls did not seek reelection. Instead, he backed a slate of candidates headed up by Ashterman.

Since mail-in ballots were sent to workers in early July, candidates vying for leadership spots had engaged in a fierce campaign during shift breaks and in public areas near the warehouse, formally known as the JFK8 Fulfillment Center. Morning and evening campaigning also took place in front of a bus stop near the facility.