Rally in Times Square for Staten Island Amazon workers attempting to unionize
John Case
TIMES SQUARE — Wednesday night’s rally in Manhattan gave Amazon employees high visibility in their continued efforts to unionize the company’s Staten Island warehouse.
The group — known as the Amazon Labor Union — tried unsuccessfully in October to get the required number of signatures in order to trigger a vote.
This time around, the group’s president, former Amazon employee Chris Smalls, says they now have enough signatures to move forward.
He’s fighting for improved working conditions, especially as it related to COVID-19.
The signature rules are set by the National Labor Relations Board, which has an established, elaborate process for employees trying to unionize.
The next step involves the NLRB reviewing what’s called, the group’s “showing of interest,” followed by an order for an election among employees at the Staten Island warehouse.