A labor union in the United States, affiliated with the Teamsters, has been formed by Amazon's first union.

• A new Amazon union has joined forces with the Teamsters, a major labor union in the United States.
• The Amazon Labor Union has encountered obstacles since its triumph in Staten Island in 2022, including discord among leader Chris Smalls and certain members.
• Smalls stated that the affiliation agreement must be approved by ALU and Teamsters members before it can be ratified.

The Amazon Labor Union, the first group of workers to organize at a U.S. warehouse, announced on Tuesday that they have affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

In 2021, a grassroots group of current and former workers formed the ALU and gained national attention two years later by winning a historic union election at JFK8 in Staten Island, New York.

The ALU initially shunned major labor unions and opted to remain an independent organization. However, the group has faced challenges in negotiating a contract with , which sought to invalidate the 2022 election results, resulting in divisions among ALU members. Last year, a group of former members filed a lawsuit against the union, alleging that it had violated the ALU's constitution and demanding that a Brooklyn court force it to hold an election for union officers.

The Teamsters, a large labor union in the U.S., could provide additional support to the ALU in negotiations with Amazon. The Teamsters, founded in 1903, have long sought to organize Amazon warehouse and delivery workers and established an Amazon division in 2021 to support and fund workers' unionization efforts.

The Teamsters announced that their affiliation with the ALU was unanimously approved by their board on Tuesday. However, the affiliation agreement is only tentative and needs to be ratified by members of both unions before it becomes official, Smalls stated in a text message.

The ALU Democratic Reform Caucus, which sued the ALU last year, has already expressed opposition to the decision to affiliate with the Teamsters. Arthur Schwartz, an attorney for the caucus, stated that it is unclear how the ALU will conduct a membership vote to approve the affiliation since it does not have a list of employees, let alone a membership list.

In July, an in-person election for new ALU officers is expected to be held outside of JFK8. Smalls has stated that he does not intend to run for reelection as ALU president. ALU members voted to hold an election for new union officers in March.

Neither the Teamsters nor an Amazon spokesperson provided additional information.

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