Amazon Labor Union affiliates with Teamsters union after facing struggles

The Amazon Labor Union, a group of workers who won a big victory at an Amazon warehouse two years ago, has agreed to join the Teamsters union. This move is expected to bring new energy to the struggling organization. The Teamsters General President announced this affiliation during a meeting in Washington. If approved, members of the Amazon Labor Union from a warehouse in Staten Island, New York, will become part of the Teamsters as a separate local union. This will help the Teamsters in their goal to unionize Amazon's non-corporate workers. The Amazon Labor Union has faced challenges since their initial victory, including losing elections at other Amazon warehouses and internal disagreements about their strategy. Some members formed a group called the ALU Democratic Reform Caucus and sued the union to hold a new leadership election. This election is planned for July outside the warehouse that first voted to unionize. The agreement between the Amazon Labor Union and the Teamsters is facing opposition from the caucus. The Teamsters want the ALU members to approve the agreement before the internal leadership election in July. However, the ALU does not have an updated list of members, which is needed for the ongoing election process. The Amazon Labor Union, the first group of Amazon workers to unionize in the U.S., has decided to affiliate with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The ALU was formed in 2021 by current and former workers and gained national attention by winning a union election in Staten Island, New York. By joining the Teamsters, the ALU hopes to strengthen its position in negotiations with Amazon. The Teamsters, a well-established labor union, have been trying to organize Amazon workers for a long time. They created an Amazon division in 2021 to support workers in their unionization efforts. The affiliation agreement between the ALU and the Teamsters is pending approval from both groups. The ALU is planning to hold a membership vote to ratify this affiliation, but they currently do not have a list of employees or members. In March, ALU members voted to hold an election for new union officers. The current ALU president, Chris Smalls, has stated that he will not run for reelection. The election for new officers is scheduled for July outside the Staten Island warehouse. Both the Teamsters and Amazon declined to provide further comments on this matter.