On February 23rd at approximately 3:00PM, Amazon JFK8 Warehouse General Manager, Felipe Santos, called the NYPD to have the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) Founder and President Chris Smalls arrested for “trespassing”. Chris was handing off four large trays of food to a worker for our weekly union lunches. Before he had a chance to get back in his car, over a dozen NYPD officers pulled up to him and began to harass Chris, as well as ALU worker-organizers Brett Daniels (Stower, RT) and Jason Anthony (Picker, FHD). The NYPD officers then bum-rushed Jason, who has a disability, causing him both physical harm and mental distress. This is the second time that Amazon has had Brett arrested, the first being in December when he was taken into custody for refusing to take down our ALU tent at the bus stop.

Amazon will not allow Chris equal time to explain the benefits of forming a worker-led, independent union and when he tries to sit outside the building to answer questions, Felipe has him arrested. We are calling on GM Felipe Santos to IMMEDIATELY drop all charges against Chris, Jason, and Brett and to personally apologize for putting the lives of his own workers at risk by calling the police for no reason.

The workers of the Amazon Labor Union want a free and fair election. Stop arresting and harassing your own workers and give us equal time to explain our side.