The re-emergence of trade unions in the United States

Based on a famous quote by Karl Marx, one might say, “America is haunted by a ghost – the ghost of a new labor movement.” Because over the past few months, everywhere, the trade union movement at the center of capitalism has been on the rise. Some of the most dazzling names have been hit: Google parent Alphabet, coffee house chain Starbucks and tech giants Apple and Amazon.

The face of the new movement was not a regular union official, but rather a relatively young, fashionably dressed black man from New Jersey. Christian Smalls worked for five years at the Amazon Filling Center on Staten Island in New York. He also became the protagonist at the instigation of the group. In a leaked internal statement, the former hip-hop musician is described as “neither smart nor outspoken”. David Zapolski, Amazon’s chief legal officer, advised him to pioneer the union initiative, believing it would be easy to discredit him.

The shot should retreat. Two years later, the magazine describes Time Little ones as the man who defeated the Amazon. This online company is the second largest employer in the United States and has been successfully fighting against unions on its sites until this spring.

Campaign wars

For a “union” to be established in the United States, most employees in one place must vote in favor of it. If this succeeds, the union will become a collective representation of workers against management. To prevent this, the Think Tank Economic Policy Institute estimates that US corporations are investing a lot of money, about $ 340 million a year (318 million euros). Specialized law firms and consulting firms conduct information events for this purpose, which employees should attend.