Save the Date: Amazon Labor Union Leader Chris Smalls Coming to Maine in September

The Maine Center for Economic Policy has just announced that MECEP Policy Insights Talk will feature a conversation with Chris Smalls, the founder and president of the Amazon Labor Union, an independent, democratic, worker-led labor union at Amazon in Staten Island and the founder of The Congress of Essential Workers, a nationwide collective of essential workers and allies fighting for better working conditions, better wages, and a better world.

“Workers are the engines of the economy. Their labor, skills, and contributions make the economy run, and they have been the driving force digging us out of a global health and economic crisis,” stated MECEP’s press release. “More than ever before, Maine workers recognize their own value — and want employers to recognize it too. But even as Maine workers come together to demand their value is recognized, many companies continue to engage in anti-union behavior and make it difficult for them to exercise their democratic, legally protected rights to bargain collectively.”

At an in-person event in the early evening of Wednesday, September 20 at USM in Portland, Chris will discuss the importance of worker power, the experience of organizing Amazon, and what can be done at the state level to support labor organizers.

What: A conversation with Chris Smalls — part of MECEP’s ongoing Policy Insights events offering year-round opportunities to learn about economic justice
When: Wednesday, September 20, 2023, evening
Where: Hannaford Hall, University of Southern Maine, Portland