A 'Backroom Deal?' Amazon Labor Union affiliation with Teamsters faces pushback
Though some express displeasure, ALU will get its own local within the Teamsters, according to the affiliation agreement.
By Peter List, Editor | June 4, 2024
Editor’s note: As more details of this affiliation emerge, we will keep you updated. Also, the comment section is open to both free and paid subscribers.
Only hours after the Teamsters announced that the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) would be affiliating with the Teamsters, there are indications that the deal may face resistance from rank-and-file ALU members.
According to several individuals, the ALU affiliation agreement with the Teamsters (in full below)—which was signed by Teamsters’ president Sean O’Brien and ALU president Chris Smalls—appears to have been agreed to behind ALU members’ backs in what at least one calls a “backroom deal.”
In a series of tweets on X (formerly Twitter), Justine Medina, who was instrumental in helping ALU, stated:
Yes, ALU will affiliate with the Teamsters if members vote to ratify it
Yes, Leadership Elections are still underway in ALU
Yes, the merger was rushed thru by the current Union Administrations w/out rank & file
Whatever happens, we're fighting Bezos & winning that contract!
Leaning yes, but I hate this. I know the benefits but would've preferred a more democratic process, not backroom deals. And Teamsters weren't the only option for ALU!
The best path forward is always thru true consultation & working-class democracy. We must build that democracy.
I might vote no because this process was super shady. Honestly, it depends on how conversations go with my coworkers, the real rank-and-file. But I do know that however we decide to move together, I'm building this union and building the movement for worker democracy.
According to the affiliation agreement (see below) obtained by Labor Notes’ writer Luis Feliz Leon, ALU’s rank-and-file members must still approve the affiliation.
Michelle Valentin Nieves, one of the founding members of ALU who is also running for president of the union, lashed out at the announcement.
You have no right to post this ! Full inclusion of the rank and file and ratification should have been formalized before posting this @Teamsters
The affiliation agreement:
READ: Amazon Labor Union formally affiliates with the Teamsters