It was big news in April of 2022 – a small private union led by ex-Amazon workers called the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) had won a vote to organize in a fulfillment center in Staten Island, NY. At the time, it appeared that Amazon would see its first union shop in the US, which labor leaders had hopes would usher in a wave of similar successful organizing efforts at FCs and sortation centers across the country.

Supply Chain Digest Says... So while the battle over unionizing Amazon warehouse workers is far from over, the seemingly great victory by the ALU and Chris Smalls seems “not so much” now. What do you say? Click here to send us your comments Click here to see reader feedback

It isn’t working out that way. The ALU in New York has yet to force a contract on Amazon, and doesn’t appear to have the wherewithal to get it done. Lacking any dues payments from workers as a result, and with the donations that had kept it alive drying up, times are tough for the ALU.

Chris Smalls, ALU president, was fired by Amazon for breaking company rules regarding union activities. He enjoyed a brief moment of fame for the success at getting a vote to happen and then winning it at the Staten Island FC, all without the umbrella of a large national union, such as the Teamsters. After the apparent win, Small met with labor organizers around the US working to unionize other sites to share his approach and keys to success.

But there were setbacks early on. In October, 2022, the ALU lost a union vote at another Amazon Staten Island FC.

In a recent article on the topic, the Wall Street Journal reports that in 2022 the ALU received about $750,000 in donations, but that continues to drop, while the small union racked up some large legal bills. The ALU is expected to file an updated financial report with the Labor Department in the next few months – and which is expected to show that the ALU coffers are bare.

Other unions, such as the American Federation of Teachers, made large donations in 2022 but did not makes similar contributions to the ALU in 2023.

So what happened?

The Wall Street notes that “The struggles at the Amazon Labor Union have shown the harsh realities of labor organizing, which can be derailed by waning worker support during the often years-long process of moving from a successful vote to the ratification of a contract.”

Amazon continues to push back hard on all fronts, saying it is against unionization because it prefers to have direct relationships with workers and that it believes unions could slow down business initiatives that are beneficial for employees, as it has emphasized many times. The company continues to fight the vote that approved the union, citing various actions it says were contrary to labor law.

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Smalls is receiving much of the blame for this poor state of affairs with the ALU.

He “lost support from some workers and former union officers who have said he appears more interested in globe-trotting and fame than in his initial goal of unionizing Staten Island warehouses,” the Journal reports, adding that “A group of union dissidents also accused Smalls of not being transparent with union funds, a claim he disputes.”

So while the battle over unionizing Amazon warehouse workers is far from over, the seemingly great victory by the ALU and Chris Smalls seems “not so much” now.

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