When workers at an Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York, officially unionized on April 1, electoral politics wasn’t the first thing on anyone’s mind.
Observers across the country instead hailed the outcome of the union elections at the JFK8 facility as an historic victory for the labor movement, not least because it was achieved by an independent union without the resources of a more established labor group.
But ever since the union victory took place in New York’s 11th congressional district, a rotating seat Democrats plan to retake this November, Democratic candidates have flocked to express their solidarity with workers and are already using the union victory as a bludgeon against Republican Nicole Malliotakis.
“What an incredible feat by a grassroots organization here on Staten Island taking on the largest corporation in the world,” said former Rep. Max Rose, the Democrat ousted by Malliotakis. tweeted.
Rose, who dyed the seat blue in 2018 with the support of major unions, is running again with the blessing of the Democratic Campaign Committee, the campaign arm of House Democrats. Rose also attended a solidarity rally called by the Amazon union end of March and spoke out against it March 2020 firing an organizer, associate Christian Smalls, who later founded and headed the Amazon Labor Union.
However, Rose has competition on his left in the June 28 primary in New York.
Brittany Ramos DeBarros, a progressive activist who, with the support of the Party of Working-Class Familiesspoke at a rally and press conference convened by the Amazon Labor Union outside the camp complex in August. Ramos DeBarros, an Afghan War veteran-turned-crusader against the war, was present when leaders of the union effort announced the results April 1 in Brooklyn. And on Friday, Smalls, now president of ALU, endorsed Ramos DeBarros.
“When it comes to standing up for the working class of Staten Island, I believe Brittany Ramos DeBarros is the nominee for everyone,” Smalls wrote in a message Ramos DeBarros shared on Instagram.
HuffPost emailed Smalls for more information about his decision to support Ramos DeBarros and his thoughts on Rose, but received no response.
Amazon Union President Christian Smalls (in red hoodie) hugs fellow organizers after the final union votes were counted on April 1. Smalls endorsed Brittany Ramos-DeBarros for Congress.Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Associated Press
Regardless, both candidates said more about the union election than Malliotakis. In the days following the Amazon vote, Malliotakis, a former state MP, did not comment on the union elections.
HuffPost caught up with Malliotakis Last Thursday as she entered the chamber of the US House of Representatives to cast a vote.
When asked about the results of the union vote, Malliotakis went no further than expressing respect for the outcome of a court case.
“Great! They had a voice – good for them,” she said.
Staten Island is a stronghold of union membership, with unions representing approximately 32% of the county’s workers.
Traditionally, Republicans from union-heavy areas have shown greater support for organized labor than their counterparts elsewhere in the country.
But when the House of Representatives passed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act in March 2021 — a landmark labor reform bill that would have made it easier to organize — Malliotakis wasn’t one of the five Republicans who joined Democrats to push for the vote PRO law.
“Labour has been used and abused by both parties for decades, and unfortunately Nicole is the latest in a long line of politicians to do the same,” Rose said in a statement to HuffPost. “In Congress, I helped lead the fight to get the PRO Act passed, pushed back NAFTA 2.0 to the point of removing big pharma giveaways, and I’ve never hesitated to take on special interests trying to smother organized labor.” kidding.”
“What was achieved at Staten Island is historic and it’s a shame that Congresswoman Malliotakis just takes it down as they had a choice and shows whose side she’s on,” he added.
When asked about her reaction to Malliotaki’s comments, Ramos DeBarros appeared to question the status quo in both parties.
“This is a victory for workers around the world who are fed up with the status quo,” she said in a statement. “This is not an opportunity for Representatives (or former ones) to make their mark and it is disappointing to see them claiming to be supporters of a movement and communities they have left.”
A Malliotakis spokeswoman did not respond to multiple HuffPost requests for response to criticism of her comments on the Amazon union vote and her vote against the PRO law.
Early in her tenure, Malliotakis seemed eager to brush up on her credentials with hardcore supporters of former President Donald Trump. She was one of 147 Republicans in the House and Senate who voted against confirming at least one state’s results in the 2020 presidential election.
But Malliotakis cast at least one high-profile, bipartisan vote, supporting President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill in November.
“I proudly voted for the bipartisan infrastructure package that will improve the safety and prosperity of communities across America and make the improvements needed to bring our infrastructure into the 21st century,” she said in a statement.
Brittany Ramos DeBarros and former Rep. Max Rose (D) are both claiming the pro-union mantle in the Democratic primary for New York’s 11th congressional district.Associated Press/Brittany Ramos DeBarros Campaign
Since that time, the Democrats, who dominate the New York state legislature, have redrawn the 11th of New York to include more liberal parts of Brooklyn and less conservative enclaves. After the reallocation, New York’s 11th went from a seat Trump won by about 10 percentage points in 2020 to a seat Biden would have won by a slightly larger margin.
Republicans who have challenged the new map in court received a favorable verdict on March 31. A Republican judge on the state Supreme Court overturned the new boundaries, arguing that the map was “unconstitutionally drawn with political bias.”
Democrats believe they will succeed in overturning the verdict on appeal. Regardless, they reckon with a more favorable district for the party than where Malliotakis won in 2020.
Malliotaki’s vote against the PRO bill and lack of more enthusiastic support for the Amazon union is a liability, according to Sal Albanese, a former New York city councilman and moderate Democrat who now resides on Staten Island.
“Workers are not unpopular on Staten Island,” Albanese said.
At the same time, Malliotakis’ general stance on unions on the police-heavy island may matter less than her support for law enforcement and her rejection of police criticism, according to Albanese, who lost a city council race in November despite a near-unanimous disagreement over support from organized workers.
In fact, Malliotaki’s credibility with the law enforcement unions, all of which supported her in 2020, might be the union alliance she needs most.
“There are a lot of Labor people who vote Republican for cultural reasons,” he said.
Malliotakis unveiled this strategy in her interview with HuffPost on Thursday, saying she plans to emphasize how she believes Democratic policies have contributed to both inflation and a rise in crime.
“We’re seeing Democrats tying the hands of the police and implementing policies that are driving up crime,” she said.