The leader of Amazon’s first union has made his first trip outside the United States to support striking workers at the online retail giant’s Coventry warehouse.
Chris Smalls, who helped coordinate a successful organizing campaign at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, in April 2022, traveled to the UK last week to provide advice to British workers as they try to gain recognition from the company.
“It is important that we amplify the struggle and the struggles of others because we want to build that international solidarity,” Smalls told the Observer. “Just like they refuse to talk to these workers and negotiate a fair contract, we are in the same process at home.”
Smalls’ trip has been a month in the making, and the 34-year-old specifically signed up for a passport to take his first trip. “I booked my flight the same week I got my passport,” he said. “As soon as I received the letter that I am free to go, I made sure that this trip was a priority.”
That Smalls made the visit, and that it was his first, has been seen as a vindication of the strike by 400 employees at the Coventry warehouse. They are seeking higher wages, but also complain about overbearing management and long working hours.
“Chris saying the first thing he wanted to do was come here has me trapped,” said Darren Westwood, one of the Amazon workers who picketed the Coventry facility. “It surprises me”.
The dispute is the first official organized strike by Amazon workers in the UK. Previous actions in Tilbury, Essex, where staff gathered in the warehouse canteen to protest wages and conditions, were wildcat strikes.
The Coventry strikers, who make up around a fifth of the 2,000 staff at the site, are seeking a 43% increase in pay to £15 an hour. Amazon pays an hourly wage of between £10.50 and £11.45, depending on location. The national living wage is £10.42 an hour for those aged 23 and over.
“They get paid £10, minimum wage, for the same amount of time we work in the US, and we get paid twice as much,” Smalls said. “It does not make any sense. Because of the cost of living, even if we make twice as much, we’re still living paycheck to paycheck.”
An Amazon spokesman said that “a small proportion of our workforce is involved” in the strikes. “In fact, only a fraction of 1% of our UK employees voted on the ballot, and that includes those who voted against the action.” The spokesperson added: “We appreciate the great work our teams put in throughout the year and are proud to offer a competitive salary.” Amazon also claims to offer “comprehensive benefits worth thousands of dollars more” for staff.
Amazon’s US union won higher pay for its workers by continuing to push the company to improve its offer, something Smalls believes UK workers can do.
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“What the union does is say, ‘Well, yes, we have breadcrumbs, but imagine what we can get if we have a contract,’” he said. Smalls said that in the US, unionized Amazon workers are now fighting to make $30 an hour. “We’re doubling down on that, because we know Amazon has the money.”
Smalls spoke to striking workers on the picket line last week as part of the visit, sharing tips on organizing and working to gain recognition for the e-commerce giant. However, he takes time. “This is just the beginning. Every marathon you have to take that first step,” Westwood said.
Smalls said the striking Amazon workers will make Coventry “the stronghold and catalyst for the UK.”
He added: “I promise you that when they win, there will be stores all over the country that will do the same. We have to open a door and then kick it down. Come down and let everyone in.
Smalls suggests that Coventry, and the UK, will be just the beginning of his campaign to organize Amazon, with possible future visits to similar movements in Europe. “They were wrong,” he said. “They let me out. I go wherever I need to be.”
