A revolution is brewing in a Staten Island parking lot

A surprising amount of good news today

Welcome to a premium Thursday evening edition of the Progress Report!

Today has been one of those days when the news comes so fast and thick that it’s hard to get a moment to actually write about it. There are a number of big headlines to discuss today, largely focused on voting rights, workers’ rights, and affordable housing. At least some things in life are consistent.

OK, to the news!

A quick reminder: For every new paid premium subscription purchased over the next month, I’ll donate a free premium subscription to a reader on a limited budget who reaches out and requests one. (Respond to this email if you’d like one of those free subscriptions!) Help us to get our reporting in front of as many eyes as possible and build up a progressive media infrastructure!

---

---

Can you feel that? The faint rumble beneath your feet, shifting the ground in an almost imperceptible way? Don’t be frightened — it’s just labor history being made all the way out along the West Shore Highway, just south of the on-ramp to the Goethals Bridge out in Staten Island, New York.

Amazon Labor Union, a ragtag group of current and former warehouse workers, is on the verge of becoming the first union to win an NLRB election at the world’s largest and most powerful online retailer. Today, the labor board began tallying up the results of the election held last week, and with about 60% of the vote counted, the union is leading by a not insignificant margin.

An independent union not affiliated with any of the AFL-CIO member organizations, the ALU grew out of protests two years ago staged by workers incensed by the lack of Covid safety protocol in the jam-packed Amazon distribution centers.

The struggle began in early 2020, when New York was under siege by the mysterious virus. Thousands of people were falling ill and dying every single day. And yet, so used to cycling through workers like widgets in a machine, Amazon wasn’t bothering to alert workers to positive cases in its facilities while also providing almost zero protections against a plague that was vexing scientists and doctors.

A long-time employee named Chris Smalls led his coworkers in a walkout meant to call attention to the unsafe conditions and force Amazon to provide them with the protective gear necessary to do their jobs even semi-safely. Amazon did to Chris what it does to any worker that causes any disruption or dares to advocate for themselves: they fired him.

It may prove to be the most costly personnel decision the company ever makes.