All language subtitles for Union_2024-11-29_07-02-53.en

[tranquil melody pulses under
chimes and distant rumble]

[tranquil melody continues,
faint rumble of cargo ship]

[repetitive chord chimes]

[music continues]

[faint chatter]

[machinery whirs,
blending with music]

[bus whirs]

[faint squeaking of breaks]

BUS ANNOUNCER:

This stop is Chelsea Avenue
and Bloomfield Avenue

BUS ANNOUNCER:

Next stop, Fifth Street and
Amazon Fulfillment Center.

[chimes become sparse
and ominous]

[bus rattles and whirs]

[faint chatter]

[low musical hum
under ominous melody]

[electronic crates
rattle, whir, and beep]

[rattling, beeping,
and shuffling]

MAN�S VOICE:
[Indecipherable]

Two, one.

[explosive roar and rumble]

[rocket whooshes]

NEWS REPORTER:
This is the first human

test flight for Blue Origin
and on board

billionaire Jeff Bezos,
the Founder of Amazon,

as we are tracking this
huge flight for you today.

Still exciting to hear
that sound, Nicole.

NICOLE: I�ve got
goosebumps here.

I wish I were on that.
[both laugh]

[faint rumble]

[quiet musical hum
under chimes]

[outdoor ambient sound,
plane approaches above]

[plane grows louder]

[people chatter]

What you like,
a burger or hotdog?

-I�ll take a burger.
-Sure.

-Wait, are you Smalls?
-Yes.

-Wait, you�re like
low-key famous, no?

[laughs]

SMALLS:
Low-key? High key!

I�ve been on Dr. Phil.
I�ve been on CNN.

I�ve been on 60 Minutes,
-Yo!

-Fox News.
I�ve been everywhere.

-That is dope!
-I�m here as a volunteer.

That�s why� people don�t
ask questions, they just

walk past us every day.
Come ask questions,

don�t just assume.
[plane flies overhead]

-People are scared.
I was low-key scared.

-Scared of what? I�m the one
who got fired. [both laugh]

Everybody else got their job.
He was with me day one.

You know? Like everybody else
is still here.

I�m the one that got fired
because

I did the protest
here last year.

[talking under loud
truck rattling by]

SMALLS:
David Zapolsky, the top

general council for Amazon,
said that

pretty much that I�m not smart
or articulate.

To make me the whole face of
the unionizing efforts

against Amazon,
they�ll be in a better

PR position

than to answer questions
about health and safety

for the umpteenth time.
[crosstalk]

[chuckles] It�s like what?

[hesitant laughter
from others]

They said, �Make Smalls the�

Make Smalls the most
interesting topic,�

or something like that.
And then

at the bottom it says like

�general board agrees,�
so, that means everybody,

including Jeff Bezos,
in the room agreed on that.

That�s like, wow.

It�s like they took
a vote on it, like�

...that�s crazy.

-That�s another question I
have, okay, so even though

you don�t work at Amazon
anymore, right?

So, you�re fighting for us
to have a union.

So, suppose we do get
a union,

how would you
play a part in this?

-I�m the president already.
We had an election last�

-Also, so there�s a provision
in our constitution.

So, people who are wrongfully
terminated by Amazon,

they don�t get forced out
of the union. So, [crosstalk]

after we win the election
here, everybody�s gotta

re-vote for�
-You gotta re-vote, so

y�all can have a chance to
vote again for who you all

want as president,
as vice president.

-Angie, did you just
join today?

-Yeah. Mm hmm.

-Were you coming off your
shift when you met them?

-Yeah, so I was leaving and
I was waiting right there by

the bus stop, and

Connor?� -Yeah.
-came up to me

and he told me about what
was going on. Yeah.

What department were you in?
-Packing.

-Well, you worked the nights,
right, night shift?

Nights.
[plane flying overhead]

Are you daytime?
-No, I�m on day shift.

-Day shift.
SMALLS: Hey, what�s up bro?

-I just got fired.
-Really?

GROUP: [crosstalk] -Aw� Man.
-Yeah. I�m gonna�

I�m gonna get the appeal, and�

what happened was is that
they didn�t let me know

certain things, so
I got fired for it. But�

-What happened?
-You know how there�s

a whole bunch of people there
and it�s hard to clock in.

They were
saying pretty much because

I wasn�t clocking in with my
card directly

through the gate.
[crosstalk]

SMALLS: They said that you
were stealing company time?

-They said I was stealing
company time. [crosstalk]

SMALLS: Yeah, that�s
bullshit, but

do the appeals packet.
-Yeah.

I was gonna get the card
from you guys.

�Cause I know that you said
like I can reach out to�

[crosstalk] -Just let me know
when you get the packet.

And don�t fill it out til
you talk to me.

-Alright, got it.
No problem. Thank you.

Appreciate it.

SMALLS: So, we�ve been
forming sorta like a

workplace committee.
Derrick Palmer, he�s still

employed there. We got some
other Amazon employees that

have been talking about
unionizing that work there

and we talk to them
all the time.

We�re ready to either
decide to go independent

or we�re ready to sign onto
any union that wants to

to represent that building.

Kevin�
-I happen to be a current

Amazon worker at JFK8 too.
-Nice to meet you bro!

-And I�m looking forward to
this because

the pay and the work conditions
are totally a nightmare.

I don�t even talk about this
in the building because I

don�t know who I
can trust yet.

That�s why I had to do this
on a very long� [crosstalk]

SMALLS: What shift you work?
KEVIN: 7:15 a.m.

to 5:45 p.m.

Derrick, you got him. [laughs]
Kevin, meet Derrick.

Derrick, meet Kevin.
We got you.

Talk to Derrick and that�s it
right there. [crosstalk]

What department
are you in, Kevin?

-Well, right now I work in
the picking department.

-Damn! You probably would�ve
been one of mine, man.

I would�ve been your s�
[crosstalk] -Ooh PCS!

-Damn man! I would�ve been
your supervisor.

[crosstalk] Sorry brother,
didn�t have the pleasure man.

But just stick it out man.
Stick it out. Stick with us.

We�ll support you, man.

KEVIN: Believe me, I�m
tryin� to sweat it out

because I feel like a slave
in there, I mean�

SMALLS: Oh, I know.
We got you, Kevin.

Christina Brown, would you
like to introduce yourself?

CHRISTINA: Hey everybody.
Can y�all hear me?

-Yes, we can.
-Yes.

CHRISTINA: Thank you so much,
Chris. I appreciate you

and you�ve been there for me
and the crew since

you found out about my
sister�s passing, so�

She died January and she came
there to be a sorter.

She had no business coming
there and do COVID testing.

And she was not in
protective gear. Not at all.

She was not a medical
physician.

She was not a health
aide or anything.

Why was she doing that?
SMALLS: And we saw that

that facility didn�t
even have any

plexiglass in there.
CHRISTINA: No.

-No plexiglass. Nothing.
-No, it didn�t at all.

When I look at my niece now,
it�s just like I just cry.

SMALLS: Everybody here
supports you and we support

your sister�s cause, which is

not getting enough attention.
She is the reason why

we gotta continue to fight
because

this company has not been
held accountable.

CHRISTINA: And I want people
to understand that my sister,

no, she is not the first
person to die.

-Right.
CHRISTINA: I want people to

understand that.

[alarm chimes]

ELECTRONIC VOICE:
It�s 5:00 a.m.

[alarm continues to ring]

[alarm is turned off]

[whirring of bus and
machinery]

Amazon Union.
Amazon Union.

Want it?

Union literature for
Amazon.

-Amazon Union.

Union, union, union,
union.

Amazon Union.

[bus idles and whirs]

Here you go.
MAN: [yells] Brainwashed!

-I�m trying to tell you
they wanna rush and get home.

They�re ready to go.

Look, especially that

it�s 5:50,
the ferry�s here too.

They�re brainwashed.
For one, they�re brainwashed.

Two, they�re tired.

-This is because�
You know what?

Imma tell you why, this
because you know,

a lot of people that were
sittin� there never really�

they might�ve heard about
unions that we did, but

there�s very few of us
that�s been in unions.

These people, you can see in
their eyes, they�re scared.

[bus engine rumbles]

Call Dean�
[outgoing ringtone]

So, I heard from a
reliable source

that the captive audience
meetings are starting

up tomorrow.

Also, they�re
hiring like crazy.

Like when I came in this
morning, there were new people

lined out the door.

You know, its crazy starting
Amazon your second day

going to a captive audience.
I think they wanna be

people�s first impression
of what the union is,

what it wants.

We need to challenge the
idea that these

captive audiences are
even legal.

They are inherently coercive.
They interfere with our

rights as workers.
We should just go in,

occupy that training room,
and don�t even let them

hold the meetings.

[faint bustle from
inside factory]

[microphone rustles]

[whir and chatter of
busy warehouse]

[conveyor belts whir
and rattle]

[loud whir of warehouse]

[scanner beeps,
door clanks, factory bell]

VOICE ON VIDEO:
The union wants to speak

for you. They think they
can do a better job

speaking for you than
you�re doing for yourself.

Based on their priorities,
they will decide what to

negotiate on your behalf
and you will have to pay dues

whether you�re happy with
the ALU or not.

NEW VOICE: We�re proud of our
track record together.

[overly friendly male voice]
The ALU has no track record.

They�ve never represented
any employees anywhere.

All they have is promises,

but they can�t
guarantee anything.

We�re asking you to do
three simple things:

get the facts,
ask questions,

and vote �no� to the union.

PERSON IN ROOM:

So, that�s the ultimate theme.
Remember, your signature

is worth something.
So, protect your signature.

-Hi, my name is Natalie.
I�m a sort inductor

on the ship dock and I�m
actually one of the organizers

for the Amazon Labor Union.
Just to let you know,

the leader of the ALU is
Chris Smalls.

He was fired last April when
he went outside and protested

because we were not getting
PPE inside the factory

even though we were processing
it for the rest of the world.

Okay? So, him and his
friends that also worked here

got fired.
[crosstalk]

Okay? So, when I say that
we put a union out there that

is worker led and is
Amazon employees,

we have all of you in mind.
It�s workers,

protecting workers,
and standing up for workers.

[crosstalk and arguing
from group]

NATALIE: No no no,
I want to say one more thing.

[raises voice] You talk about
$1,200? [crosstalk]

Union Busters make $2,000
to $3,000 per day

paid by Amazon to sell
everybody out.

[microphone rustles,
then silence]

[rustling]

We�re making it work.

Okay.

It�s one o�clock now,
I�ll be able to get�

almost five hours of sleep.

That�s enough.

[rustling and shifting]

[vocalizes sigh]

[traffic whirs]

[geese cluck]

CHRIS SMALLS: Put it like this,
the union is y�all.

There is no third party.
-They already know that shit.

[crosstalk]

-If anybody�s scared that you
know, tell them they can

sign online. All they gotta
do is scan their phone.

-They are scared because they
got people in there talking

them out of it.
-Yeah, they�re paying them

$10,000. We know. We know.
-That�s what is going on.

-We know, but we gonna
get there though,

it�s only a matter of time.
We got this. Thanks brother.

[loud nearby traffic]

DERRICK: So, you�re able to
help out someone else

who�s dying for a union.
�Cause there�s people in

there I talk to,
they dying for it, bro, so�

you signed up, man,
get a free plate,

contribute to our movement.
We can all help.

We can all help.
[lively chatter]

Feel me?
Know what I mean?

-Yeah.
-Thank you.

So, you sign. Yeah, that�s
for the petition.

[car horns sound in support]

-Yeah! Thank you!

[car horns morph into
melodic synthesized horns]

[traffic whirs,
faint chatter]

[music fades,
indistinct clacking]

CHRIS:
Woop!

No hands.

RECORDED VOICE: It looks like
your account is suspended�

[child chatters]
�and your payment of

$30 is due now.
And I see your account is

not eligible for an extension
right now.

Say �pay now� �payment help�
or tell me what else

you�d like to do.
CHRIS: Pay now.

[child chatters]

PHONE VOICE: Cool! Payments.
To keep your account active�

�is $30. Is that the amount
you want to pay?

CHRIS:
Yes

PHONE VOICE:
Thanks.

CHRIS:
When�s your next class?

DIFFERENT CHILD: Mine?
CHRIS: Yeah.

-Mine is now.

-So, you need to put the
game down and find out

how to get in there.
-I�m trying to!

But I can�t.
CHRIS: There�s no Zoom?

-There is a Zoom.
-So, get in the Zoom.

[Skype chime]
[rustling]

[Chris mimics the chime]
? Do-do-do-do-do-do-do ?

CONNOR:
Um, let me pass it to�

Did you want me
to pass it, Chris,

or did you say you wanna
start the meeting?

CHRIS: Who else is left?
We�ve got Seth.

Oh, Madeline! [crosstalk]

Let me introduce y�all
to Madeline.

Madeline is hopefully going
to be another salt for us,

hopefully.

You know, she�s in�
You�re in Florida, right?

I�ve been talking to her on
the phone and

I�ve been tryin� to convince
her to come up here and

join us with ALU and get
hired by the company.

And salt the building for us.
So, Madeline, unmute yourself,

introduce yourself.

Hi, I�m Madeline.
I did

student labor organizing
when I was in college and

now I�m hoping to continue
my work in the movement

with you all. [chuckles]

[sign rustles,
chatter, laughter]

[traffic whirs by]

[soft droning music]

Where did my clipboard go?
[busy chatter]

We�re all Amazon workers.
We�re trying to form a union

that�s specifically for
Amazon workers,

which is why we�re trying
something completely new

here that gives us the legal
right to bargain all of our

wages and working
conditions as a group

instead of as individuals.
The way it works now

is if you want a job here at
Amazon, you have to sign

whatever the fuck and agree��
[voice fades out]

[DERRICK] Hey I don�t wanna
bother you. I�m sorry.

I see you eating your mac,
but we have hotdogs,

hamburgers, we got some
baked ziti,

we got some real food
over there, so� -Okay!

-Let�s have a walk.

Let�s get some real food,
you know.

[busy chatter continues]

[calm music]

[children play]

[children and adults chatter]

CHRIS: Hey!
[traffic roars by]

[yells] Hey, you know that�s
illegal, right?

You know that�s
illegal, right?

You�re not supposed to be
doing that.

I�m talking to you.

You know
that�s illegal, right?

Don�t do that!

[truck roars and rattles]

[bustle of traffic,
outdoor music]

GROUP SINGS:
? Happy birthday dear, Jason ?

? Happy birthday to you ?
[cheers and applause]

-Yay!
-Wooo!

[joyous chatter, crosstalk]

-Make a wish.
-Woooh! -Yay! [applause]

[joyous chatter continues]

-Yay! Happy birthday.
-Happy birthday!

-Thank you guys!

This is so special!

CHRIS: The transit guru,
y�all know what it is.

-Last year I was in there
going through hell.

This year I�m here chilling!

[whoops and hollers]

P-A-S means particular
annoying station.

A star, that means
double fare.

That means that you can�t
transfer between

directions.

My commute starts around here.

That means almost two hours
all the way to JFK8.

Somebody like Daequan,
he lives around here.

He will take more than
two hours.

And my beloved sister, Angie,

who lives in Staten Island,
has to pick up her son

at school and get
to work on time.

But the buses
are not quick enough

and it gets so crowded
that if you miss one,

you�ll have to wait
either 15 to 30 minutes

to the next one.

Even though, all of us,

we come from
different backgrounds,

we developed

a family-hood bond,

that will never ever
be broken.

[faint buzzing]

[quiet chatter]

[ANGIE] Wow.
You look so handsome!

[city traffic]

Do you remember anyone�s
name from

last time at the factory?
-Yeah.

-Who do you remember from
the factory last time?

-Um�

Um, Connor.

Did you tell Connor
my tooth fell out?

-Yeah.
-All right.

[hum of bus]

[soft musical drone]

[faint city traffic]

-Hello, everyone.
[everyone greets]

[workers introduce
themselves to each other]

-Hi.
-I�m JM.

-What�s your name?
-JM. -How are you?

[door slams]

[ambient outdoor whir]

[door opens] -I ain�t like
that fucking meeting. I don�t

give a fuck what nobody�
-That was crazy.

-It was just hostile as fuck.
[crosstalk]

-God. -Lecturing us�
[crosstalk] -At least get to

get to know us [crosstalk]
-Instead of like asking us

questions she just assumed
that we didn�t know what

we were doing. [laughs]
-We never met her before,

and she was talking down to us
like we did something to her.

-Word. [crosstalk]
-Like we did something wrong.

-Talkin� �bout we gotta
protect our characters,

we can�t do this and that.
We gotta act a certain way.

I felt like I was� She talking
to us like fuckin� kids�

-Yeah you gotta know
how to behave.

-They got the impression that
we don�t take this seriously

because we make decisions that
don�t make sense to them.

-I�m tired of everybody
assuming shit, like

that shit is crazy to me.
How the fuck people think

they know what the fuck
we about?

Everything we do is for the
people, she got all

�I want to make sure y�all
doing it for the people.�

We are the fuckin� people!
Talkin� �bout the President.

We don�t give a
fuck if Biden endorses or not.

We don�t care about Biden.
-We�re never getting a

Biden endorsement. [laughs]
-If any, we�ll get a AOC

endorsement.
[crosstalk]

-We don�t care about
no politician.

That�s why I say she don�t
know what she�s dealing with.

We are Amazon workers.
We have to match Amazon�s

intensity and power and in
several different ways,

not just traditionally.

-But this is gonna go on
for years.

This could go on
for years, Chris.

[crosstalk] -I agree.
CHRIS: It could also not!

[laughs] Y�all gotta
understand we are the NWA,

the NWA of the
organizing world.

Right now, Amazon is on
their high horse,

and we want punch them
in the face.

That was crazy. I was like,

what are we
talking about here?

Talk about losing?
Like it�s going to take years?

It is not. Look.
DERRICK: No!

What the fuck are they
talking about?

-We is not about�
-Not gonna take no �years.�

[baby cries in background]

We�re not about to spend
years in JFK8.

We gotta think
outside the box.

[car honks, baby chatters]
That�s the only way you gonna

beat them, is from the inside.
-The inside out.

-Everything about
these niggas.

-Everything�

And we know that these dumb
motherfuckers do dumb shit.

I don�t know who�s on�

We know that Amazon makes
stupid-ass mistakes.

They can have all the money
and resources in the world,

they still do dumb shit.

-I wish they would have a
union busting class

while I�m there.
I�m walking in that shit

and I�m talking shit.

-You know, I can�t change
who I am and

you can�t change who you are,
Gerald can�t change who he is,

Jordan can�t change who he is.
Four niggas�

started this shit.
It is what it is.

And at the end of the day,

it�s gonna be us that
have to lead the way.

[traffic whirs]

[hip hop music plays
over speaker]

How you doin� guys?
Amazon�s spreading a lot of

misinformation.
Please take one of these.

It�ll help you understand
what�s going on.

How you doing guys,
please take one of these.

One, you cannot be
terminated as easily anymore

�cause now they have to
deal with us as well.

So all of that, you�re fired
just because, you know,

you did one thing wrong.
The firing process

is gonna be a lot harder.
[crosstalk]

[background chatter]

You shouldn�t be doing
all of that, go home�

You wanna go to a house, like
I�ve been there,

I�ve lived out of my car too,
for a whole summer,

and it ain�t three years,
but I couldn�t even do a

summer.

But I had to get back on
my feet before I got married,

so I know what you�re going
through and it�s like,

yeah, you got your routine
down but

you shouldn�t be going through
that working for the richest

company in the world.
That sounds crazy.

Alright,

no problem.

My phone died right on time.

-Chris, who was that?

-Natalie. She�s homeless.

She just told me today.
I�m like, why

why you didn�t

tell me when
you first met me?

And she don�t wanna be helped.
I�m like, nah,

you can�t tell me this and
then think I�m not gonna

help you, like what do you
think is gonna�

But she�s gonna come around.

But it�s crazy.
She just said that

she�s been living out of her
car for the last three years.

Crazy.

[muffled hip hop music,
bus whirs]

-I�ve been training a
lotta new hires.

I spent half my time training
and the other half of the time

answering questions
about the union. I�m like,

I�m really happy you guys
are here, you know,

congratulations,
welcome aboard, but we gotta

stand up for ourselves.
I said, �When they start

disrespecting you,� I said,
�you stand your ground,

you look them in the eye,
you tell them you�re not

gonna tolerate that shit.
You don�t get paid enough

for that. And then you tell
them, �You wanna do my job

better than I do?
Let�s switch right now.��

[crosstalk]
-My managers have no idea

I�m with union organizers.
-Wow. [crosstalk]

-You wear the shirt?

-No, I don�t wear the shirt
at work. Yeah.

So they have no idea�
you would think

with Amazon surveillance
technology, they would�ve

pinned me down by now.
-Well, you have a college

degree too, that�s gonna
help you really,

that�s really gonna help
you up the ladder. [crosstalk]

-But they don�t know that.
They never asked me anything

about my background.

-They could make the
safe assumption.

-You think so? -Yeah.
-They never asked me anything.

-Uhhh yeah, if I took one
look at you,

I would know� college grad.

[both burst out laughing]

-Feels like an insult.
-It�s a compliment.

No, no, no.
It�s a compliment.

[lively chatter] When I talk
to the women about the union�

Everybody�s gonna bring
up the pay. -Ok.

-Everybody�s gonna bring up
longer breaks

�cause everybody�s tired,
everybody�s sore.

[lively background chatter]
But if you go deeper

and bring up
the gender discrimination,

the lack of promotions,
the micromanagement,

being treated like workhorses
while the guys

aren�t doing any work.

That�s another thing that�s
really annoying.

I have to start over.

CHRIS: Please put us over 13.
That�s all I ask.

-I�m gonna get a total
number in a second.

You ready? [clapping]
GROUP: Yes!

[table drum roll]
One thousand

three hundred fifty three.
[someone yells] Boom!

We�re right where
we need to be.

-We got four weeks.
-We got four fuckin� weeks.

-If the numbers from May
were true,

we�d only need like 50
more signatures

to have a third.
-Cancel all your plans

unless it�s family related.
If it ain�t family related,

we at the fucking tent.
Like, we got to.

[subdued electronic music]

I applied to be a manager
50 times.

You probably got less than

a two percent chance of
becoming a manager

from becoming a PA.

And if you�re Black? Shit.
You got a one percent chance.

When I mean I was
training managers,

I was literally training them.

How the fuck am I gonna be a
PA when I know more than you?

[chuckles bitterly]

You gotta come to me
for shit, so,

who�s the real manager?
Me.

They just didn�t realize how
much I was invested

into the company.
They didn�t even realize that.

It�s fuckin� crazy, but
I don�t give a fuck.

[taps steering wheel]

I hope I get the last laugh.
That�s all I�

[ethereal
synthesized music]

[hip-hop plays over speaker]

The problem is if he refuses
to comply, he could get

arrested. So if he refuses
to take down the tent,

which I think would be
the plan. Like if the cops

come and they say �you have
to take down the tent,�

Chris is gonna say �No.�

-Right. Which he should.

-And that�s when they
would arrest him.

-Which is a good strategy.
That�s organizing. I mean-

-No, that�s putting
his life in danger.

That�s not good. [crosstalk]
-We have to make sure he does

it safely, planned arrests
happen all the time.

-That was the MLK organizing
strategy, was put ourselves

in positions where we would
get arrested in a way

that the people arresting us�
-Look what happened to him.

-look bad. He got shot.
He got assassinated by the FBI

basically, I mean it was a
whole other thing.

The police arrested him
many times.

-You guys are
out of your mind. [crosstalk]

You guys are acting like it�s
not that big of a deal

because you�re white people.
You guys want to get arrested?

Try being a Black person and
getting arrested in New York.

-I�m not saying he
should do it.

Like, it�s his decision.
-He wants to do it. [crosstalk]

-There�s a very high
probability that it�s

not gonna turn out well.

-So we can�t let the fear of
the most remote possibility�

-It�s not a remote
possibility that a Black

person could be
killed by a cop in New York.

That shit happens
all the time. [crosstalk]

Chris could die.
-This sort of fear is going

to destroy�
-It�s not a fear,

it�s a reality.
It�s a reality.

The possibility that he gets
arrested for the tent is-

it�s not a hundred percent-

-I love how you�ve only been
in this group a month and

you�re already ready to put
his life on the line for this.

[tense melody]

MADELINE: How long have you
been working here?

-Seven months.
-Okay, cool. And�

if you could change one
thing about the job,

what would it be?
Like anything.

-There�s a lot. I don�t know.
[laughter]

-Yeah.
-You don�t hit your rate�

I got written up three times
for packing

when I first started.
Three times.

They said, �you get another
write up, then you get

terminated.�

Folks! Here�s a card!
-Look at that.

DERRICK: Oh yeah, a sig!
CHRIS: Yeah! Buy in!

JASON:
Of course I�m buying in!

-I don�t have an exact
number right now.

We have over 1,700.

CHRIS: One day, one day Maddie.
-It�s ok.

[chatter and laughter]

CHRIS:
Ask the right questions.

I�m at work right now.

I�ll probably be home
later tonight.

CHILD: Ok. But you better
not be so late because

I always fall asleep.

-Yeah, Imma try to get home
early. [laughs]

Alright?

-Ok.

-And then you sign
right there.

[lively chatter]

You�re signing the paper?
-Yeah! [cheers from group]

-Good job!

CHRIS: This looks like�
This look like something now.

[satisfied laugh]

This first fucking box
got dust on it. [chuckles]

-That first one, right?

Sig god.

No. That�s all our work
in that one.

-Yeah, the first one.
The first one.

-Yeah.
CHRIS: Finish this shit off

for the Gram.
-Yeah. [chuckles]

[camera shudders click]

-Get it?
-Yeah.

-Get the ALU.
[faint chatter]

[shudders click]

-One second�
[shudder click]

[indistinct chatter]

-Give us just a second.
Just the folks with the

petitions right now,
or the showing of interest.

And then let me find out
how this is gonna work.

-Imma try�
[cheers] That�s it, y�all!

We did it. [slaps box]
It�s officially done.

Notice to employees
will be sent out

in a matter of a week.
Everybody in their facilities

will be notified that a
petition has been filed.

-Hell yeah.
[raucous cheers]

[excited chatter]

-I think the way we�ll do
this is we have our proposed

leadership, and it�s the
people that have been�

essentially that started
this campaign.

And hopefully our vision
can carry it through

to the election.

So for president,
I�ll nominate you, Chris.

And then if somebody would
like to

second that nomination?
-I second that.

SEVERAL VOICES:
-I second it. -I second that!

-Congrats Chris.
-Thank you. I�m proud to be

the president for the second
half of this fight.

I�m gonna nominate
Derrick Palmer as the

external vice president.

-I�ll second.
-I�ll second.

-I�ll second.
DERRICK: Thank you guys.

CHRIS: No doubt.
Well deserved, brother.

I�m gonna nominate

Madeline
to be our treasurer.

-Hard second.
-I second that. -Second.

-I second!

[laughter]
-MADELINE: Thank you all.

[soft droning music]

[rattling and bustle]

A union is an outside group

that attempts
to represent workers.

Unions typically work
on the seniority system.

-Hi.
-Can we talk outside?

-Um, sure.

-Come on.

[somber musical drone]

[ship horn]

[ship horn, hum of
ship and traffic]

[hum of traffic]
CHRIS: [on phone]

They fucked us over, yo.
We have to withdraw

the petition.

You know how the fuck do
we meet all the requirements

and exceed the cards,

and still get fucked over
by the NLRB

because they decide to give
Amazon whatever the

fuck they wanna do.

They�re saying 900 of
the cards,

those people no longer
work for the company.

They fired damn near half
the people who signed

the cards.

It�s a bunch of bullshit.
[indistinct clattering]

[roar of vehicles]

-My goodness.
So this VTO, let�s see if they

got any.

[faint music thumps]

-None.
-Hey Nat.

-I got none.

-Hi How are ya?
-I�m good. How are you?

Actually not great, but�
[laughs bitterly]

-Yeah.
-Laura just sent me a text.

-Yeah. [crosstalk]
That�s what I wanted

to call you about.
-I didn�t know.

-Yeah. We just found out
this morning.

-Hello comrades.
[faint chatter]

I�m Justine.
I�ve been at Amazon for almost

two months now. I�ve been
doing community organizing for

over a decade now,
and I believe that

organizing the working class
is the most important thing

that we can be doing,
and I�m in it

for the long haul and
happy to be here.

CHRIS: Thank you, comrade.
Alright everybody,

let�s get started.

I know there�s a lot of
mixed emotions going on,

mixed feelings. I�m hearing
all the rumors,

you know, especially with the
withdrawal that�s happening.

Right now, we just have to
focus on getting more

signatures to refile.
And my hope is to do that

within the next week or two.
Right now, we�re at

a little bit over a
hundred-something cards.

Our goal is to hit about
600 before we file.

We already exhausted our
budget and the fact that

we did withdraw, that is
gonna create doubt

and workers are gonna lose
hope the longer

we�re out the game.

We�re going to resubmit.
That�s all we gotta keep

in our heads, is that we�re
going to get to an election.

I know Justine has her
hand up. Justine, go ahead.

-Thank you, comrade.

So something that I disagree
with Comrade Chris on�

I don�t see this as a
make-or-break

moment of we only have the
next two to three weeks.

Right?
So I think that that

is coming from a place of
recognizing the weather

and being outside at night
in cold, right?

But I think that that means
that we need to change up

our tactics, right?
[crosstalk]

CHRIS:
Yeah, that�s not correct though.

JUSTINE: Chris, Chris, Chris,
let me talk though, please.

I think that we need to hit
a higher number, and I think

it�s ok that it takes longer
than two to three weeks.

NAT: She needs to stay in
her lane.

JUSTINE: �be ready to take�
NAT: She�s trying to dominate

the meeting. It�s not ok.
[Justine continues]

CHRIS: Justine, the reason
why I�m saying two to three

week window is because we
don�t want to wait

until after peak season,

when we know they�re gonna
fire everybody

after peak season.

If we get them before peak
season is over,

we have a better chance.
But, Justine hasn�t

been here long enough to
know that peak season,

that�s what they do.
You gotta understand.

-No, I know that. [crosstalk]
CHRIS: They hire us during-

-I�m aware of that.
-And so, when it comes to the

bargaining unit, we can�t
include seasonal workers.

We�re not planning to do that.
So we have to file now

so that we don�t have to
include seasonal workers.

And as far as the weather,

we�ve been dealing with
Mother Nature from April,

and the weather being out
here has nothing to do with

us staying out here.
People that have been here

every single night with
myself would not understand

what we�re going through.
So it�s easy to say

we�re doing this,
we�re doing that-

JUSTINE: I think that
instead of saying, okay,

how do we beat this weather?
I think we just have to

say this might take more
than two to three weeks.

-Yeah, I agree with Justine
and Jason.

-The meetings aren�t gonna

be going on until
further notice, so.

-They are going to try to
fire as many of our supporters

as humanly possible, which
is why we can only give them

a week or two because they
can�t do too much damage-

-�they don�t come our way.
So I feel like we gotta

explain to people inside the
building or put it in the

[voices overlap,
becoming incoherent]

[overlapping voices continue,
one of them is Justine]

[chaotic domineering
chatter continues]

JUSTINE: it�s important
that we don�t withdraw again.

[tense, discordant music]

[wind howls]

[strong wind blows,
tent flaps]

[metal pole clangs]

[ominous, somber music]

[wind howls,
plastic rustles and flaps]

CAMERA PERSON:
Shit! Are you ok?

Do you need help?
-Yeah, I�m alright.

Mother nature�s a little
mad at us today.

That�s all.

Just a little bit of that good
ol� Staten Island weather.

[poles clank]

-Hey Chris� [inaudible]
[clattering]

CHRIS:
We got everybody here.

Let�s get started.

Um�

People could say
what they want.

People on the outside don�t
know what�s going on.

The bottom line is, when we
stay grounded,

when we stay together,
there�s nothing that can stop

our momentum.

The only thing that�s gonna
stop us is if we stop

ourselves.

So, this week is the most
important week

of the campaign.

We�re gonna use a
different strategy.

[bustle of commuters,
vehicles]

[chatter]

-Have a good one.

How you doing everybody?
Free pizza. Free food.

Free weed.
That is a thing.

-See what I�m doing man?
-You love us. Oh my god.

-I love y�all. I swear.
You know how much this

shit cost, shit.
-Listen, oh my God.

Pizza, weed, like

you can�t go wrong, man.
I�m finally gonna

go home happy.
[crosstalk]

This just made my day,
a lot. [laughs]

-You know what we�re
here for.

Tellin� people like
my union cares.

I don�t give a fuck what
Amazon told them.

-I was just telling them,
they be giving us bootleg

Tylenol� [Chris laughs]

�like sugar pills.
It doesn�t even say Tylenol.

It�s just a little tablet.
I�m looking like,

�What is this?�
You don�t even feel better.

CHRIS: I�m gonna hook you up,
Imma give you a lot.

-Thank you Chris!
-No problem, no problem.

-What�s going on?
What y�all doing?

-You already know.
Merry Christmas. Free weed

for Christmas man.
-Oh word? Yeah.

-All we askin� y�all to
spread the word. That�s it.

No, we don�t want nothing
in return, just to

spread the word.
We fighting for $30 an hour,

job security, to keep y�all
cell phones and they gonna

take that shit away.
[crosstalk] All of that.

-And you guys want to sign up?
[busy chatter, music playing]

Or grab a slice of pizza?
Please do so.

You don�t have to sign up,
it�d be nice

if you did though.
I work days, yeah.

I need that hour.
We got free pizza, free soda

and free weed today.
Please help yourselves.

[distant car honks]

[distant police siren]

[�International Players
Anthem� by UGK on radio]

[cars honk in distance]

[hum of the city,
birds sing and chirp]

You know what happened?
You know what�s up?

Nigga we got the election!
[whoops and cheers]

[exited crosstalk]
-We got the election!

Bring your ass here now.

[joyous grunt]
[chatter and squealing]

-We did it!
[celebratory yelling]

-Bring it in! Bring it in!
CROWD: [chanting] ALU!

ALU! ALU! ALU!
ALU! ALU!�

Yeah!

[chants fade]

[faint wind]

-What�s your name?
-Mitch.

-Mitch, I�m Jeannie.
Nice to meet you.

MITCH: Nice to meet you.
Yeah, I just wanted you guys

to know it is illegal to take
down union

literature when it�s
in a breakroom.

We are legally allowed
to post it.

JEANNIE: We�re putting it right
back, hear you go!

[crosstalk] Thank you so much!
MITCH: Awesome.

[uneasy music]

[distant voices from
inside the building]

CONNOR: Yeah. They put it
right above the urinals

and they put �em on the
inside of the stall doors.

See, the first thing they
bring up is the dues.

That�s the thing
they lean on.

You know what we could
do actually?

What if we made a piece of
paper that looked almost

the same as this, but it was
like, know the facts,

union members make more,
et cetera. We put that over it

and they probably won�t
even notice.

When I�m in there.
I�ll put �em all up.

-They out here hittin� us
with almost hundred-year-old

techniques.

It�s actually hilarious.
-Oh yeah.

You ain�t seen nothing yet.
[laughs bitterly]

It�s just getting started.

Good morning y�all.
-Good morning.

-Good morning. -Good morning.
Good morning. Good morning.

What�s up brother?

Have a good one, man.
Have a good one.

In the past we�ve been
saying one percent

and now we�re talking�
Cass, you were saying

two-fifty. Chris, you think
$5 every other week?

-What they�re saying in the
meeting is that

we�re not being transparent
about the dues.

Just throw a number
out there.

That�s it. Keep it moving.
-When I explain it to people,

I say the dues, the proposal
that the union�s going to

make that we all have to vote
on is going to be something

along the lines of
one percent.

That means if you make
$500 on your check, $5 of that

goes to the union.
And everyone gets that

when I explain it,
there�s no confusion.

The feedback that I�ve been
getting is they want a number,

like that percentage shit,
they don�t got time to

figure that out.
-It�s just about

the way information is
being received.

They don�t calculate
one percent when they

say that, you know.

They wanna see a number.
MADELINE: What happens if we

do happen to win people a
really good contract?

We get them $30 an hour and
we�re only making $2.50

per person?
CHRIS: I know that,

but I�m just saying I don�t
think that $2.50 is

a bad start.
-I think it�s easy also

to put it in terms of,
I always say one percent,

which is $6 a week and union
members on average make

11 percent more. So if you
even got an average

pay raise, you�d be
ten percent better off.

And I think when you put it
in terms like that it�s

really easy for people to
see the benefits.

CHRIS: That�s wordy, bro.
You gotta understand,

that�s wordy.
-I feel like Amazon is just

gonna use that against us.
CHRIS: Naw, they�re gonna do

it anyway, �cause what
they�re telling workers

is that, �These union dues is
going into my pockets

to make me rich.� And I
don�t want that happening.

[background chatter]

Hello, how are you?
Is that Mr. Adefone?

How you doing?

Good. My name is Brima Sylla.
I work for Amazon

and also I�m a volunteer
for the Amazon Labor Union.

-Right, yeah. We have the
similar thing with the UPT

where it�s like if we�re
six minutes late,

they take an hour of our
UPT and then if we

put in time, then we still
have to go to HR and try to

fight to get the hour back.
-Really? [cross chatter]

Oh wow. Well actually I�m
his mom. I�m helping.

Yes, you�re speaking
to his ma.

We�re trying to contact
every worker individually,

whether that�s by call or
by door or in the break rooms.

And so I�m trying to phone
bank 8,000 workers

by the end of the week.
-I�m just calling to answer

any questions you have
in regards to us and if

you�re planning on voting,
�Yes� for the union.

[chatter and laughter
in the background]

Oh, you don�t work here
anymore? I�m so sorry.

Well, have a great day.

[ANGIE] My mom�s a nurse.
So when I told her

we were fighting for $30,

she was like, �You guys think
you guys deserve $30 an hour?�

But what changed her mind was,
she was telling my grandmother

about what I was doing and my
grandmother was like,

�Yeah, your aunt, she works
making up beds in the hotel

and she makes $30 an hour
doing that.�

And my mom was like, �What?�
Mom was like,

�She almost makes how much
I make� [laughs]

making up beds at a hotel?�
And my grandmother�s like,

�Yeah, because she�s in
the union.�

And I think that also changed
her heart, but

I think with me is that,
because although I�m

very to myself, whatever
I think about,

I�m very strong willed at,
so I think what really got her

was that when she was
trying to tell me

I didn�t deserve it,
I was telling her how much

I deserved it and
everyone else in the warehouse

deserved it,
and so I think she liked that.

-We�re asking you
to vote yes.

Vote yes for job security.
Vote yes for your friends.

Vote for who are fired.

Vote to scrap the system
that writes you up.

All these things are possible.

You make Amazon
$638 million a day.

It�s time we
get paid our fair share.

And I believe that on
March 30th, 2022,

we all together will be on
the right side of history.

[trap music plays in
background of video]

-Nice.
-Thanks.

You should send the link to
the Latinos for Amazon.

-In the group chat?
-Yeah.

Okay.

AMAZON REPRESENTATIVE:
[talking to workers]

[door slams open]
DERRICK: What up?

-Alright crew.
-Right? [starts chant]

? Everywhere we go ?
GROUP: ? Everywhere we go ?

-? People wanna know ?
GROUP: ? People wanna know ?

[quiet chatter]

-? who we are ?
GROUP: ? who we are ?

[crosstalk]
-? so we tell them ?

[crosstalk]

[crosstalk]

[laughter and applause]

[raucous laughter and chatter]

[lively chatter]

VOICE ON PHONE SCREEN:
If any of y�all have questions

we�re happy to answer them.
-Somebody said

�all meetings were canceled
after ALU organizers got in.

My meeting was now and it
was canceled as were

the rest of them for today.�
-Another worker was tellin�

us the same thing, that they
got the text that it was

canceled and they were like,
�That�s y�all�s doing.�

CHRIS: They said people heard
about y�all walking in there-

-They can threaten us
all they want.

We�re not leaving.

[low instrumental hum]

[rowdy whoops and cheers,
chatter, car horns honk]

[crates rattle faintly]

[machinery whirs, rattles,
and beeps]

[music drones and rattles]

[ship horn]

[ship horn]

-When did this happen?

-So all of these write-ups
are very close to date.

For you it was last week
-Yeah.

-Justine, last week.

-And yours� -Last night.
-was last night. -Yeah.

-Two managers came. The first
one couldn�t get me.

She tried, she said,
�Come down with me to HR.�

I said, �I want a
representative. I want

Brett Daniels.�
She got frustrated, she left,

she came back later.
She spilled her message

verbally and I said,
�I want Brett Daniels,

I need a representative.�
But anyway, she went on,

she said, �This is not a
write-up but this is a

verbal warning.� She said,
�Don�t go to

the meetings uninvited.�
I�m like, �Okay.�

They didn�t stop there.
Another operation manager

came and then she showed me
her computer. She�s like,

�You had low performance last
week. This is a write-up

by the system.�
-Wow.

-Wait, wait, wait, wait.
So they wrote you up for

productivity? [crosstalk]
-Yes, poor performance.

-For me personally, I don�t
know whether I�m right

or wrong, but I think a
little bit suspicious.

Is it because

they want to send a message?
-Yes. [crosstalk]

-I�m like, �Candace, why do
I get the impression

that you�re targeting

ALU organizers? Does this
have something to do with

the election?�

Yeah, and that�s why I�m like,
�Angie, girl, you next.�

Because they have their list.
I already know that.

They have a list.

CHRIS: So they�re targeting
y�all. They�re gonna give

all y�all write-ups.
They did Karen yesterday.

Y�all gonna get one
eventually.

And now people gonna look
at y�all and be like,

�Well, they got written up.
I�m not trying to get involved.�

-Mm hm.
-So we don�t wanna mention

nothing about it to other
workers, but just

file our lawsuits and
be prepared that they�re

gonna give y�all write-ups.
Let�s just continue doin�

what the hell we doin�.
You know, we just gotta

survive the next 18 days.

[bus idles]

[breaks squeak]

They raised the minimum wage
to $15 back in 2018.

But they took away our
stocks, they took away our

monthly bonuses in return.

What�s up man?
-I�m gonna have to ask anyone

who is not an Amazon employee
to please leave the property.

-You already know we ain�t
going nowhere man.

Do what you gotta do.
You know what�s up already.

-Chris, man, please, we
respect your right

to do this� -Right
-but please.

-So do what you got to do.
I�m not goin� anywhere.

Call the cops. I�ll leave
when I feel like leaving.

[barely audible] I�m
doin� a interview right now.

Excuse me.
-[inaudible] get off property.

-I will when I feel like it,
but right now I�m doing it

right here.
[inaudible]

-Can you explain what
happened real quick?

-That�s the dude that fired
me two years ago, you know,

it�s him right there.
He know me.

They could do what they gotta
do and Imma do what

we gotta do. That�s what we
got lawyers for.

I ain�t worried about them
and they wanna call the cops,

call the cops.
[police siren]

[car doors slam]
[faint chatter]

CHRIS: God damn. All these
wasted tax dollars, yo.

-Hey Chris. Like I said, man,
I�m gonna ask you and anyone

who�s not an Amazon employee
has to

leave the premise please.

Anyone who is an Amazon
employee, I�m not

speaking to you.
You guys are free to stay.

-Okay? But are we in a
parking lot that says,

�Visitor,� right?

-You�re currently trespassing
on Amazon property.

If you are not an Amazon
associate, so anyone here-

-You didn�t answer the
question though.

That sign over there says,
�Visitor� Right?

I�m a visitor.
-With who?

What are you doing?
-I�m visiting with him.

They work here.
-How long have you been here?

-A few minutes.

-So you�re refusing to leave?
-No. I said Imma leave when

he leaves.
-Are you refusing to leave?

-I said, �No, I�m gonna leave
when he leaves.�

-Are you leaving? Yes or no?
Yeah. I said yeah.

-If you�re not leaving
within the next two minutes

you�re gonna be arrested.

-Y�all not enforcing no law.
Y�all just

wasting y�all time.
-You have 30 seconds

or you gettin� arrested.
-Imma get arrested?

[incredulous] How am I gonna
get arrested? For what?

For what [crosstalk] you
wanna arrest me for what?

[organizers argue with cops]
-Right now you�re obstructing

police business, right now,
back up. -No we�re not.

-You put hands on me!
He�s putting hands on me.

[yelling]
-He�s a worker!

He works here!
[yelling, crosstalk]

-What are you-
-Back off!

Back off. Back off.

-Get your hands off of him.

JASON: [in distress]
Let me go! Let me go!

-What are you doing?
-Hold on. Hold on, man. Stop.

Stop, stop. Stop, stop, stop.
-Get your hands off of him.

CHRIS: He�s a worker!
EMPLOYEE: He�s going outside.

-Check to see what�s goin on!
-Yeah. [badge reader beeps]

[doors clank]

JASON: They�re hurting
my wrist!

[yelling]

-Jason is a worker!

Jason is allowed to be here!

[yelling]
-I got it, I got it, hold on.

-You�re gonna back up.
[inaudible] I understand!

You�re not gonna interfere.
[droning dissonant music]

-If we can touch you, it�s
gonna be a problem I told you-

-Get in the car!
You�re resisting arrest!

[music swells to a stop]

[distant police siren]

[chatter]

-I�m tryin� to
send them my ID.

Well, how are we gonna get
�em outta here?

Do we have any money?

-No. We�ll figure it out.
-We don�t even know the bond!

-We got some money but we
can�t really spend it

right now.

VOICES ON VIDEO:
-Why are you arresting them?

[yelling]

-Why are you arresting them?

We�re workers here!
Why are you arresting us?

[light switch clicks]

[text message alerts]

[subway door alert]

[screech of nearby train]

[train rumbles and clanks]

JASON: [on call]
No Chris, this is serious!

[upset and yelling] You saw
me, how I was on Saturday.

CHRIS:
How was you on Saturday?

-I was very exhausted-
CHRIS: Jason!

-My whole body was
hurting like hell-

CHRIS: Jason. -and you guys
wanted me to stay here-

CHRIS: Jason.

You talkin� to people that
worked at Amazon for years.

Especially me. I was a picker.
I know exactly what you�re

going through.
Why are you acting like-

-[irate] So tell that to
Connor!

-Tell that to� Connor worked
at Amazon for three years.

I think he knows what-
-But Connor does not pick!

-It doesn�t matter [crosstalk]

-It�s all the same in
the struggle.

CHRIS: Jason, everybody�s body
is hurtin�� [crosstalk]

-What�s going on? [argument
continues in background]

He feels like not being at
Amazon because it�s

a lot of pressure and he feels
like he�s not being heard.

-What does he mean?
He�s not being heard.

-Well he�s not [inaudible]
CHRIS: We all understand what

you goin� through,
but this is what we signed

up for.
I feel your pain brother,

but we not ignoring that-
JASON: Chris!

-It�s just that, gettin�
on each other about

who worked harder.
It doesn�t matter.

JASON: But I�m about to
give up, seriously.

-Jason, this is the long haul,
right? This is the marathon.

We know that. What do you-
JASON: I�m about to give up!

Seriously!
-Give up on what?

What are you giving up on?

-On everything!
-Why?

I tell you this all the time.

Whenever you goin� through
shit, call one of us.

But getting on your comrades
right now is not the way

we gonna be doing this.
Who cares about who work

in what department?
-I�m so frustrated, Chris!

[somber music]

But�

we�ll figure that out.
That�s nothing.

We�re suppose to start
at 8:45�

[crosstalk and laughter]

JASON: Maddie, we canceled
the meeting. [crosstalk]

-Why?
[crosstalk]

Actually, I called the
meeting for nine o�clock.

[crosstalk]
-Yeah, but we all said 8:45

because Cassio� [crosstalk]
-Cassio was on break.

-You can�t just cancel the
full meeting just

because we�re late.

-Cassio was on break.
-Well he can and we did.

-I�m the one who called
the meeting.

-And they only gave
15 minutes. [crosstalk]

CHRIS:
Forget about the meeting.

If we say something,
we got to do it.

We can�t just like,
alright, we gonna show up

late and then-
-I mean Chris Smalls, you�re

gonna lecture us about
being late to things?

[crosstalk] Seriously?
-You want to lecture me, bro-

-I�m not lecturing anybody.
I just feel like that�s�

-Hold on hold on hold on.
Let me tell you something bro.

Don�t do that because you
been in Mexico.

Don�t do that.
Number one. I could be late.

I could be late.
I could be late because

I sacrifice my time all
the time. Trust me.

-Oh, I didn�t? I haven�t?
-Wait, but I started

way before you.
Don�t disrespect me.

You understand me?
You understand.

Don�t disrespect me.
-You�re yelling at us.

-I�m not yelling at�
-I feel like I�m being yelled

at by my father right now.
-Maddie, listen.

I�m not your father.
I don�t want to be.

I have my own kids. Listen�
-I don�t understand why this

turned into a screaming thing.
-It�s not a screaming thing.

It�s one person talking
right now

and the floor will
be yours too.

We�re family. We�re family
we�re gonna argue and fight.

But y�all gonna listen
to what�

-You can�t yell at us for
being fifteen minutes late.

[arguing]
-I�m fucking tired.

-Everyone�s so sensitive, but
when everyone doesn�t see

each other, like it�s
not a problem, just listen.

CHRIS: It�s not a problem.
It�s not a big deal.

-This ain�t a
productive conversation!

-It is a productive
conversation. [arguing]

[faint traffic
and sirens outside]

[quiet, somber music]

I�d rather�
[background chatter]

a real union come
in, eleven ninety nine (1199),

Teamsters, Local 79,
someone that been around.

This is a new union.
Nobody knows what this man�s

gonna do with this money.

Even if you charge
$5 a person,

who�s to say he�s gonna
actually stay

on the up and up?

REPORTER: And that employee
was talking about the head

of the Amazon Labor Union,
a former employee,

Chris Smalls.
The Amazon Labor Union hasn�t

really received that much
support from normal

institutional players
like RWDSU or 1199.

[muffled music in bar]

-How are you doing?
-I�m good. How are you?

-Good to see you.
-It�s so nice to see you.

How are you doing?
NAT: I was so emotional.

I wasn�t responding to
anybody for a few days.

[music thumps]
It was just a lot to take in.

MADDIE: Yeah.
-It�s really disappointing

to have to give up
after a year of

putting your heart
and soul into something.

-Why do you feel like you
had to give up?

-I wanted to be a part of
other organizations that

actually appreciated what I
could bring to the table,

instead of constantly feeling
like I was being fought with

every single day,
or ignored, or dismissed,

or disrespected.
I can�t leave one boy�s club

at Amazon and work for
another boy�s club

in the Union.
I can�t do it.

Chris is gonna do whatever
he wants to do, period.

-It�s not true.
There are other people

on the executive board and
in the workers� committee

who are gonna hold
him accountable.

Over 50% in JFK8
do not have faith

in the people that you
have faith in.

What I hope happens is that
everybody votes no,

enough people, so that a
national established

experienced union can
come in� -They�re not coming.

[crosstalk]
-with the resources.

They�re coming. They�re waiting,
they�re itching for this.

-Nat. -Maddie.
-The Teamsters have withdrawn

their petition in Canada twice.
In Canada. -That�s in Canada.

That�s not in the US.
-Yeah, it�s easier in Canada.

-They�ve already announced that
they�re gonna do this in the US.

-They haven�t been able
to do it.

-The reps have been coming
by for the past year�

-The Teamsters are not coming.

-And the Retail Wholesale
Department Store Union?

-They�re not coming.
[crosstalk] They�re gonna lose

in Alabama, probably.
-They�ve been coming, Maddie.

[crosstalk] -And the Teamsters
aren�t coming either.

This is our shot. This is our
shot to make things better.

-I don�t want to be in the
union. I shouldn�t have to pay

for the union.
The Supreme Court

sided with them-
[crosstalk]

-You believe in right
to work laws?

-Maddie.

-I care about this.

-I know you do. That�s what
makes this whole situation

even more sad.
-I can�t imagine doing

anything else.

[nearby chatter
and laughter]

[bustle of trucks and
traffic]

[soft music]

CHRIS:
How was your day?

-They got me fucked up.
[Chris laughs]

CHRIS: That�s every day.
-They�re gonna make me

fail school.
-Yo, don�t do that.

-The wall was so packed, I
did like a 400, bro.

-Ay shit.

-Bro, they just don�t
fucking care, man.

-We gotta fly. I gotta go
get my kid.

-Alright.

[indecipherable chatter]

I got that.
-I�m doing interviews�

[chatter]

[crosstalk]
-Momma. -Alright.

-Say �A-L-U.�

[child speaks into megaphone]
A-L-U.

-ALU!

-ALU.
-Woo! You did it!

-Hello, join us for some
lunch during break time.

Free lunch during break time.

African rice tonight
during break time.

REPORTER: Starting today,
8,000 Amazon warehouse workers

on Staten Island will begin
voting on whether they want to

form a union.
The Amazon Labor Union

is campaigning for higher
pay and layoff protections

and longer lunch breaks.
Amazon employee,

Raphael Loriano says he�s
voting yes because the current

30 minute lunch break is
barely enough time for him to

make his way across campus
to the cafeteria.

WORKER: We have long hours.
We�re here 10 to 12 hours

a day, on our feet all day.

Short breaks.

Shorter than
I�ve seen any other company

with this much hours.

REPORTER: Voting will be
tallied in the following days.

[slightly suspenseful,
melodic music]

If your last name begins with
A through N,

step to the south side.

REPORTER: They haven�t
really received a lot of

support from these
established unions,

and they are a group of
former and current employees

that have basically tried
this grassroots effort

to create the union here.
And we spoke with the head

of the union, Chris Smalls,
a former employee,

just a short time ago about
their efforts and how

confident he is going into
today�s vote. Take a listen.

Three two.

Three two one.

REPORTER: We met a lot of
people who are voting no,

actually.

-Yeah. No, we�re not gonna
have everybody on our side,

but you know,

as long as we have the
majority. There�s gonna be

some vote no�s. There�s gonna
be some vote yeses, but

we�ll see what happens at
the end of the election.

[faint chatter]

-I was in the ALU.
I am voting no,

and I would prefer that a
more established, experienced

national union
would come in,

because, with a Goliath
like Amazon,

they have all the money and
the resources in the world.

We need a strong established
national union.

REPORTER:
Thank you very much, Natalie.

-Great. Thank you very much.
-Have a good shift.

-You too. Thank you.

[lively chatter]

-It�s like they think that
we�re, excuse my language,

we�re fucking robots.

You know�

They expect you to do 200,
then after that,

when you make 200 they
want you to do another three,

and then they want you to
do another four.

-And I voted yesterday.
So I try to [nearby chatter]

take my boss�s�

concerns into consideration,
[chuckles]

but also I have to listen
to the ALU also.

They mean to help employees,
-Yeah.

workers.
But so does the employer,

so it�s not always easy to

to take sides.
-I�m gonna always stand

on the side of the people.
If the majority of the people

in here stand that way,
then, you know,

that�s the way I�ll stand.
That�s why I said I wanted to

wait til the last stage
just to kind of feel out

where I feel like the
people are you know,

advocating for it.

[chatter]

[anticipatory music]

[chatter]

Three, four,

five, six,

seven, eight,

nine, thirty,

thirty-one, thirty-two.

-Actually the two on the
right, I never met.

That tall guy was in the
tent, but I don�t know

his name.
[counting in background]

But in terms of NLRB,
Amazon, and ALU,

they�re all
NLRB representatives.

-They�re all NLRB counters.
-Who�s watching it?

-I think in the room is
Chris, Gerald, Jay,

Jason,

the lawyer. And then I
don�t know who�s there on

Amazon�s side.

-They need to understand,
my heart can�t take this.

[chatter]
[somber drone]

[emergency vehicle siren]

[chatter]

-So, five hundred�

twenty three.

REPORTER: There�s a group
of current and former

employees that are organizing.
It�s a grassroots effort.

It�s not affiliated with any
national union,

so it�s very atypical in
that sense as well.

[chatter]

-The last count was

2203 to 1750,

only a couple a hundred left.

-Holy shit!

-Oh my God!
-It literally doubled.

-What happened?
-Yeah, bro.

-Thirty-four�
six.

[excited crosstalk,
laughter]

-No! We got CNN. We got the
article from CNN already.

-Yo Connor, did you see the
New York Times headline?

-No.
MADDIE: It�s so good.

Who the fuck is calling me?
Please stop.

[laughs]

Amazon workers voted to
unionize in a massive

New York powerhouse in one of
the biggest wins in organized

labor in a generation.
[excited crosstalk]

[celebratory chatter]

Union strong baby!
[cheering and hollering]

[whooping]
Let�s go!

Union strong!
[cheering]

Union strong baby!

[cheering, whooping]

-It�s all you, my guy!

[excited chatter,
camera shudders click]

It�s over!

-Yeah, I�
This moment�

Damn.
[camera shudders click]

Man, I ain�t gonna cry right
now but�

[chuckles]
-That�s ok.

CHRIS: You know, I spent
the last eleven months.

The folks behind me spent
the last eleven months

as well inside,
outside the building,

at the bus stop earning the
trust of these workers,

building relationships.
We did whatever it took

to connect with those workers,
to make their daily lives

just a little bit easier,
a little bit less-

VOICE ON PHONE: I mean this
is a humongous task.

Every problem at JFK8 is ours.

You know?
-Yeah.

-I mean, sorry to be a
party-pooper, but this is-

-Nah, you�re right,
I don�t give a shit.

-This is a huge, huge�
The eyes of the world are

looking at you right now.

CHRIS: We�re gonna be
phone banking, we�re gonna

be organizing LDJ5 workers,
making sure they�re

committed to vote.
-[reporter, inaudible]

Oh, we want to thank
Jeff Bezos for going to

space �cause when he was
up there we was signing

people up.
[laughing, crosstalk]

[crosstalk, cheering]

He was buyin�.
Buying in, buying in.

They paid how much money?
He was in there $4.5 million

consulting lawyers and
firms. The same lawyers I

just shook hands while we
kick they ass.

[cheers, applause]
Thank you all. Appreciate it!

-Holla!
[raucous cheering]

ALU!

ALU! ALU! ALU! ALU!�

[joyous chatter]

[soft musical drone, under
faint party music in room]

[celebratory chatter]

[faint cheering and clapping]

[indistinct whir]

[chimes ring]
[whir of cargo ship]

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS:
Further,

Amazon cannot even come
to grips with the reality

that the workers in
Staten Island

won their union election
fair and square.

Their strategy is obvious.

They�re gonna stall and
stall and stall.

Senator Graham.

SEN. GRAHAM: Wow. [chuckles]
You can have oversight

hearings all you like, but
you�ve determined Amazon is a

piece of crap company.

That�s your political bias.
Thank you.

CHRIS: Well, first of all,
I�m gonna address Mr. Graham.

You forgot that the people
are the ones that make these

corporations go.
It�s not the other way around.

And I think that it�s in
your best interest

to realize that you should
listen because we do

represent your
constituents as well.

And we are the ones
that are suffering

in the corporations that
you�re talking about.

I�m gonna let you know right
now that,

on behalf of the
Amazon Labor Union

and the hundreds of
thousands of workers

across this country,
that we will

continue to organize.

This is not a left or
right thing.

This is a
working class issue.

And the workers at the
bottom are the ones who

make these corporations go.

JASON: Everybody stand by
for the final count!

It is 381 yes.

618 no�s.

I repeat 381 yes.

618 no�s.

-I know we really put
on a hopeful face the

last week, and really trying
push that positive message.

And at the end of the day,

I think a lot of us
expected this.

-This is a loss
of a small battle in a

very, very long war.
-That�s right.

-It was a miracle that
we won JFK8.

It�s a miracle that we
got as far as we did in LDJ5.

We can spin this to be�

-It�s not a miracle that
we won in JFK8.

-We don�t say miracle.
That�s not the message.

-Let�s not do that.
-It was a historic feat,

but it was not a miracle.
-Yeah. [crosstalk]

It was a consequence of
a lot of work.

-I see what you�re saying.

-We�re still gonna
take our campaign

throughout the country,
and we�ll be fine.

I promise that. Guaranteed.

[soft hopeful music]

-But wait, wait, wait.
Chris, just hear me out.

Hear me out, my guy.
Because I came here to have

a meeting instead of a
argument, is how can we

make the process with
this better and stronger?

How can we learn from

what we lost,

and to ensure? That�s where
I�m coming from, man.

I�m about ALU right now.
This isn�t about personal

issues, my guy.
-People just want to do things

differently, and they want a
chance to vote on

how we execute that strategy.
It affects the union.

Losing at these buildings,
it affects,

number one, our organizing
in JFK8 and it just affects

the life of the union.
CHRIS: [remotely] So let me

stop you right there Connor.
Alright, so

the ones that feel that way,
who are you?

GROUP IN ROOM:
-Everybody. -Everyone.

[heated arguing]
-That�s not democratic.

-What do you mean? A majority
of organizers decided that

we need to go talk to them.
[crosstalk, yelling]

That is a democratic decision.

-There�s only three people
making decisions in here.

-That�s not true.
-[yells] One, two, and three.

-That�s not true.
-You guys don�t have a clue of

what y�all talking about.
So just stop with the BS.

[crosstalk]
-Wait, listen.

Y�all don�t have time
for this. [someone scoffs]

Okay, it�s bigger than you
just in the room.

Before you know it, it�s
gonna be time for that

contract negotiation. Right?
It�s gonna be time for the

contract negotiation, and if
you�re not ready, you lose.

[somber drone]

[hopeful melodic music]

-I felt that something else
needed to be changed

once I got my first write-up.

You have this young manager
coming up to you,

don�t even know your
department, and giving my

friends write-ups and
telling them you�re T-O-T,

you don�t have rate.
And my friends are practically

crying when the manager walks
away because they work their

asses off, and yet, they�re
getting punished constantly

for working hard just because
there�s this algorithm

we have to listen to that�s
deciding if we�re

fucking hard workers.

It was just so wrong.
I said, something needs to

be changed. And that�s when
I got my friends together

at my house one day and
I said, �let�s try to unionize

because that�s the only way
we�re gonna get them

to listen to us.
That�s where our power�s

gonna come from,
unionizing.�

[sustained somber chords]

[nearby traffic hums]

[chatter]

They don�t want us to
have that power.

That�s what it�s about.
Those classes-

Here take this one too.
Yeah, you�re welcome.

They don�t want us to
have that power�

[voices fade out]

[discordant music]

[blues guitar riff]

[�We Made It�
by Cedric Burnside]

??

? I came from nothin� ?

??

? I done been,
I done been lower than low ?

??

? I keep my head straight ?

? No matter,
no matter how low I go ?

??

? Grew up a po� boy ?

? Settin� traps in the corner
to catch mice ?

??

? I remember the days yawl ?

? All we had,
all we had to eat was rice ?

??

? But we made it ?
But we made it ?

? But we made it ?

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

? Didn�t have a toilet ?

? Didn�t have,
didn�t have a bath tub ?

??

? Walked three miles
every day ?

??

? To have water in the house
for another day ?

??

? But we made it
But we made it ?

? But we made it
Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? But we made it
But we made it ?

? But we made it
Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??

? Yes we did ?

??