Amazon executives took notice of Smalls' activism. A leaked memo obtained by ViceDavid Zapolsky, Amazon's general counsel, had referred to Smalls as"not smart or articulate" in a meeting with the company's top executives, an incident that further angered critics of Amazon's labor practices.
Amazon still faces another labor battle at its Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse. The NLRB called for a do-over election last November after it determined Amazon improperly interfered in the first election, which was held last spring. Worker activism inside Amazon has surged since the Covid pandemic hit the U.S. in early 2020. Before the first election in Bessemer, the last substantial union vote at a U.S. Amazon facility took place at a Delaware warehouse in 2014, when a group of repair techniciansvote tally in Bessemer wrapped up
on Thursday, but the outcome is still too close to call. There were 993 votes opposing the union and 875 in favor. The outcome hinges on some 416 ballots remain that remain challenged by Amazon and the RWDSU. The NLRB will set a hearing in the coming weeks to determine whether the ballots will be opened and counted.