Amazon Labour Union President Chris Smalls on “The New School of Labour” and making history
How workers at an Amazon packing facility made history by unionizing, and lessons learned to pave the way forward.
Chris Smalls was a worker at an Amazon packing facility in Staten Island when he was fired from the company for speaking out about unsafe working conditions during the pandemic.
About a year later, he was instrumental in the creation of the first Amazon union in US history after a long fight with the union-busting corporate giant.
Smalls eventually became the face of the movement and the architect behind “new school of labour” that changed the face of what labour leadership looks like and how workers can fight for their rights—even in the face of seemingly impossible odds.
Since the union’s victory, Smalls has been trying to use the momentum to continue to push for workers to organize at other Amazon facilities and elsewhere, telling them, “you only lose if you give up.”
Smalls joins host Rumneek Johal to talk about paving the way forward for workers.
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