The Daily

How Two Friends Beat Amazon and Built a Union: An Update

Dec 27, 2022

Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer, Amazon warehouse workers and key figures in the labor movement, discuss their inspiring journey in unionizing Amazon. They share the challenges faced, from grueling shifts to intimidation tactics, and the pivotal Staten Island walkout sparked by safety concerns. Jodi Kantor, an investigative reporter, highlights the significance of their grassroots efforts in fostering solidarity among workers. Their story is not just about a victory, but also the ongoing fight for workers' rights and the hope it ignites across a changing labor landscape.

43:28

Creator website

Episode guests

Jodi Kantor

Derrick Palmer

Christian Smalls

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Navigating Challenges at Amazon

6min

A Stand for Safety: The Staten Island Walkout

13min

Grassroots Union Building: From Setup to Strategy

2min

Unionizing Under Pressure

8min

Inside the Union Vote Count: Tension and Triumph

2min

Historic Unionization at Amazon

11min

This week, The Daily is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened in the time since they first ran.

This year, we explored the story of Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer, two Amazon workers at a warehouse in New York City, who had embarked on an improbable attempt to create the company’s first union and succeeded.

Today, we return to their story and learn about the current state of their organizing effort.

Guest: Jodi Kantor, an investigative reporter for The New York Times; and Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer, warehouse workers who led the first successful unionization attempt at Amazon.

Background reading

Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer won the first successful unionization effort at any Amazon warehouse in the United States, one of the most significant labor victories in a generation.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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