A’zon union bu$ted

Worker org. has no contract & nearly no money

Amazon Labor Union, the first group of Amazon workers to organize in the US, is reportedly struggling to make ends meet and is far from establishing a contract with the e-commerce giant, its top officers told The Wall Street Journal.

ALU Vice President Michelle Nieves told the Journal that the organization is “pretty much broke.”

Chris Smalls, the ex-Amazon worker who heads the organization, also told the outlet that the group doesn’t have much money, as its funding has tapered off since 2022, when it received more than $750,000 in donations and reported net assets of roughly $118,000.

Since then, ALU has tumbled into debt from its legal fees. It will file an updated financial report with the Labor Department in the coming months.

Its leadership is also in turmoil, the Journal reported, although its mounting financial hardships are proving to be a more pressing obstacle.

ALU’s woes come less than a year after the company’s New York City workers voted in favor of unionizing at its Staten Island warehouse, called JFK8.

Since its inception, the union has relied heavily on donations for its operations — much of which has already been spent, Smalls told the Journal.

In addition, the union can’t collect mandatory fees from workers at this time because it doesn’t have a contract with Amazon.

Smalls also shared that he lost support after voicing support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in October.

Separately, Amazon was slapped with a $35 million fine Tuesday after regulators in France determined that its branch there has an “excessively intrusive system” for keeping tabs on its warehouse workers.

The French Data Protection Authority called out Amazon France Logistique, for requiring employees to use a barcode scanner to track their progress on tasks such as storing items on shelves or packing them up for shipment.

Amazon disputed the agency’s findings in a statement.

Amazon Labor Union Vice President Michelle Nieves (left) says the group is “pretty much broke” and surviving on donations. It can’t tap mandatory dues until it gets a contract.