The Guardian view on Amazon’s first American union: inspiration from New York

theguardian.com:

Amazon, notoriously, does not like trade unions very much. In 2021, America’s wealthiest corporation spent around $4.3m (£3.3m) hiring consultants to help keep them out of its warehouses. For years, the tech giant has waged scandalous campaigns across the US to discourage its million-strong workforce from seeking formal representation. At mandatory “captive audience” meetings, employees have been required to listen to anti-union lectures from their managers – and draw the right conclusions. Perceived troublemakers have allegedly been harassed and dismissed. And until this month, the bullying strategy had a 100% success rate.

All of which makes the pioneering establishment of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) in New York a minor miracle, as well as a landmark moment. Defying the usual playbook of scare tactics and dirty tricks – and a lavishly funded “vote no” campaign – Staten Island warehouse workers voted on 1 April to form the first Amazon union outside Europe. A second New York warehouse will stage a similar vote later this month, and staff at more than 50 other Amazon sites have contacted the Staten Island organisers for advice and support. “The revolution is here!” one ALU coordinator told the Guardian at the weekend.

“Revolution” may be overstating it, but something is in the air. For decades, a decline in union membership in America has been accompanied by a corresponding rise in social inequality. But US public support for unions has risen significantly in recent years, and there are signs that labour shortages are encouraging employees to take greater risks in demanding better pay and working conditions. Under Joe Biden’s presidency, the National Labor Relations Board has been become far more proactive in defending