Amazon union organizer Christian Smalls was arrested for trespassing. He brought food to the workers of the JFK8 Staten Island warehouse and ignored the manager's demands to leave the premises.

Christian Smalls was fired from Amazon's JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island in March 2020 following a protest against unsafe working conditions. After his dismissal, Smalls led the trade union movement. For several months, an ex-employee of the company brings food to the workers of the warehouse: according to him, this is an opportunity for him to share literature and build relationships with the workers.

This week, a warehouse manager told Smalls to leave the premises and later called the police.

“I'm just a guest here. Are you calling the police to arrest cabbies and Uber drivers who are waiting for workers?” Smalls said and added that Amazon is trying to intimidate him. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said that Smalls "had repeatedly broken the rules despite numerous warnings." Shortly after his arrest, Smalls was released from custody.

Amazon's JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island could be the first site in the company's history to unionize its employees. The vote on this issue will take place on March 25.

Smalls said the arrest would not stop him from helping the workers.

“I’m already on my way there,” he said on the evening of the day of his arrest. "I'm going to bring food for the night shift."

Another vote will be held on March 28 at a warehouse in Alabama. Last year, the warehouse workers voted against unionization.

bbabo.Net