10 • April 28, 2022 - May 4, 2022
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
Union Matters More Staten Island workers want to form a union By STEPHON JOHNSON Amsterdam News Staff With the high profile of the previous vote to collectively bargain, another Amazon warehouse on Staten Island wants its chance at history too. Coming off a major victory for one Staten-Island based Amazon warehouse, another one wants its shot at history too. At 526 Gulf Avenue (the location of an Amazon warehouse) on Staten Island, Amazon Labor Union President Christian Smalls, Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) President Sara Nelson, American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein and other members of the ALU’s organizing committee gathered to anAnother group of Staten Island-based Amazon workers nounce that ALU was successful (Photo courtesy of Amazon Labor Union (Twitter)) in garnering the signatures necessary for voting to occur (2,500 people). Elections at the LDJ5 location of Ama- feel aren’t conducive to getting their job done. zon’s complex began on Monday. Some of those conditions include “unreasonLooking to follow in JFK8’s footsteps, the work- able” work scheduling that’s based on Amazon’s ers want to address working conditions that they desire to efficiently distribute products and not
the workers’ well-being. The group at LJD5 also received public support from highprofile elected officials as well such as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “If you’re going to do business out here in New York, you got to treat our people right,” Ocasio-Cortez said to those in attendance. “It was the first domino to fall, the first one. We’re not gonna stop until the United States of America is union made.” “What this whole thing is about is working people standing
working people died every day because of hazardous working conditions. More than 4,764 workers were killed on the job from injuries alone. An estimated 120,000 workers died from occupational diseases. The job fatality rate was 3.4 per 100,000 workers. Musculoskeletal disorders continue to make up the largest portion (21%) of work-related injuries and illnesses, and Latino and Black workers remain at greater risk of dying on the job than all workers. During a video news conference, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, joined by other leaders including Bessemer, Alabama-based Amazon warehouse workers, talked about how these work conditions decimate families of color. “That’s tens of thousands of families losing a parent, a child, a sibling, every single year,” said Shuler. “Latino and Black workers specifically remain at greater risk of dying on the job than all workers. That is, frankly, unacceptable.” Back on the Island, Smalls, who was fired by Amazon in the early days of the pandemic for joining a walkout in protest of work conditions, wants to unionize. let the public know that this won’t be the only rodeo in the immediate future. It’s going national as well. up,” added Sanders. “We got emails from Walmart, we got emails Staten Island’s condition is no coincidence. from Target, Dollar General, from Apple, from According to a recent ALF-CIO’s report titled Starbucks,” touted Smalls. “We are going to take “Dream on the Job: The Toll of Neglect,” 340 over the country.”
Unions and businesses both praise the Clean Slate Act By STEPHON JOHNSON Amsterdam News Staff Post-budget talk among legislators in Albany has hit the ground. And legislators are looking to clean the floor behind them. The Clean Slate Act is a bill that addresses the desire to amend criminal procedural law related to the automatic sealing of certain convictions. The legislation would end the prejudice and punishment ex-convicts face after serving time, such as being denied the ability to collect public benefits or being rejected for apartments and jobs. In a statement, the Clean Slate NY coalition (consisting of groups, advocates, and businesses) said, “We applaud the Senate Codes Committee and Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins for advancing the Clean Slate Act on the first day of session post-budget, marking immediate momentum for the bill. This historic legislation would end the perpetual punishment that over 2 million New Yorkers face due to a prior conviction. With overwhelming support across the state, now is the time to break cycles of intergenerational poverty and allow all New Yorkers to contribute to their communities. We look forward to the bill’s passage this session to bring relief to New Yorkers who have been excluded from economic opportunity, stable housing,
and higher education State Senator Zellnor Myrie (https://www.nysenate.gov photo) housing, and higher education. To for far too long.” be eligible for automatic sealing The Clean Slate Act relief, individuals must have comhas received support pleted probation, parole or postfrom different specrelease supervision, and cannot trums of the five borhave incurred any new convicoughs. JP Morgan tions or pending charges during Chase, Verizon, and the three or seven year waiting the New York State period. Sex offenses are not eligiBar Association have ble for sealing.” joined forces with Myrie said that it’s not a coinciDC37, 1199 SEIU, dence that this type of legislation has Local 338 RWDSU, made it to the State Senate. It’s someUFCW and Riverside thing that everyone can agree with. Church and Trinity “Clean Slate has brought togethWall Street Church. er the largest coalition of supportUnder ers for a criminal justice reform bill the Clean Slate Act in New York State history: advocates (S.1553C/A.6399B), and local governments, labor unions introduced by State and corporate leaders, faith leaders Senator Zellnor and nine out of ten New Yorkers who Myrie and Assemagree people with conviction records bly Member Catashould have a fair shot at employlina Cru, “New ment and housing,” stated Myrie. “By Yorkers will be eladvancing this bill, the Senate took a igible to have conhuge step toward safer, stronger and viction records more stable communities and helpautomatically sealed 3 years from sentencing ed. These timeframes are carefully calibrated ing over 2 million New Yorkers who agree people for misdemeanors and 7 years from sentenc- to allow people with conviction records to with conviction records should have a fair shot ing for felonies, not including time incarcerat- move forward with their lives and access jobs, at employment and housing.”
