From the Frontlines: Organizing Against Amazon w/ Chris Smalls and Mars Verrone

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May 6, 2025

Chris Smalls, founder of the Amazon Labor Union, shares his journey from being fired for advocating COVID-19 safety to leading a historic unionization effort. Mars Verrone, a filmmaker and musician, discusses his documentary that chronicles these struggles. Together, they highlight the immense challenges of organizing against Amazon's corporate power and emphasize the significance of collective action and worker solidarity. The conversation reflects on the emotional victories at JFK8 and the importance of May Day in the ongoing fight for labor rights.

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ANECDOTE

Firing Sparked Union Effort

Chris Smalls was fired by phone call after organizing a COVID-19 protest at Amazon in 2020.
His firing catalyzed the creation of the Amazon Labor Union and his unionization efforts.

ANECDOTE

Relentless Union Busting Tactics

Amazon spent tens of millions on union-busting and used police, fire departments, and surveillance against union organizers.
Organizers faced racial division tactics, arrests, and daily opposition from multiple power centers.

INSIGHT

Overcoming Organizers' Burnout

Union organizing involves extreme exhaustion and burnout due to high turnover and dual job demands.
Maintaining focus on the true enemy—the company—helps overcome internal conflicts among organizers.

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Chris Smalls had no idea the direction his life would take when he was discharged in 2020 for organizing a walk out in protest against Amazon’s safety protocols during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. He had no idea he was about to embark on one of the most challenging David and Goliath unionization efforts of our century.

In this episode, we speak with Chris Smalls, the founder and a former president of the Amazon Labor Union, or ALU, as well as Mars Verrone, a filmmaker, musician, and educator from Los Angeles who recently produced the documentary film, Union, following Chris and the other organizers in their fight for better working conditions at Amazon. We hear the origin story of the Amazon Labor Union, learn about the internal and external challenges faced by Amazon labor organizers, and explore a broader view of the union movement and its crucial role in advocating for systemic change. Chris and Mars also talk about the importance of unions in today’s political landscape—especially under the Trump Administration—and the significance of this year's May Day and its resonance for workers around the world fighting for justice, dignity, and a post-capitalist future.

This episode was sponsored by EcoGather, an experimental educational project focused on heterodox economics, collective action, and belonging in an enlivened world. As EcoGather's active phase comes to a close its self-paced online courses are being made freely available at www.ecogather.ing and its vibrant community is reconvening in a new organization called otherWise. Find out more at www.otherwise.one.

Further Resources

Union: A Documentary Film
Request a Screening
Follow Union on social media @unionthefilm
Amazon Labor Union
Donate to Amazon Labor Union
Congress of Essential Workers
DegrowNYC
Film Workers for Palestine

Related Episodes:

Intermission music: "You Are Not a Number" Original score for Union by Robert Aiki and Aubrey Lowe

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