What is it that makes a worker essential? This is the question that Chris Smalls and hundreds of thousands of Amazon workers had to ask as they found themselves working long hours in unsafe conditions at the height of the pandemic, having been deemed 'essential.' But when Chris, who was responsible for training thousands of other employees and upper manageme ... Show More
May 2020
I Was Fired From An Amazon Warehouse
Christian Smalls is a former worker at JFK8, Amazon's Staten Island warehouse. Last month, he was fired hours after he staged a walkout over safer working conditions. Chris talks about what he saw inside the warehouse during the coronavirus outbreak, his moves to organize, and wh ... Show More
13m 1s
Apr 2022
Same-Day Solidarity At Amazon with Chris Smalls
Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island, New York, voted to form the company’s first union in the U.S. last Friday, making a historic win for labor organizers everywhere. The union earned recognition in less than a year into its existence, and it overcame multiple arrests as we ... Show More
17m 20s
May 2022
When We All Show Up Burned Out At Work
In March 2020, when the pandemic hit, Chris Smalls was an hourly worker at a warehouse in Staten Island. Today, he is the president of the Amazon Labor Union. In this episode, we learn about how working conditions can contribute to burnout in workplaces across America. We’ll also ... Show More
52m 29s
Feb 2021
Which Side Are You Amazon?
<p>Amazon faces its first unionization vote in the country in seven years next week in Bessemer, Alabama, and if the workers decide to unionize, it could spark waves of action across the country.</p><p>We interviewed Christian Smalls, a former Amazon employee, who led a walkout l ... Show More
21m 18s
Apr 2022
How Two Friends Beat Amazon and Built a Union
<p><i>This episode contains strong language. </i></p><p>A year and a half ago, the Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Karen Weise began examining labor practices at Amazon.</p><p>In the process, they met Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer, two Amazon workers at a warehouse in New ... Show More
54 m