How do you defeat Amazon? We ask that and other burning questions of Boston’s own Sean O’Brien, the most powerful labor leader in all the land.
Boston and beyond, be warned: Sean O’Brien is shaking up the world of organized labor. And he’s got Amazon–along with every other big corporation whose workers the newly elected Teamsters general president thinks he can woo–in his sights. In March, the Medford native and fourth-generation Teamster will officially take over the 1.4 million-member brotherhood, which represents employees as far flung as soft-drink factory workers and cheesemakers. This comes after 16 years spent leading Boston’s Local 25, where he was its youngest president, at age 34. We caught up with the former truck driver to talk organizing (and organized crime), bargaining tactics, and how he plans to go head-to-head against the behemoth that Jeff Bezos built.
You’ve said that you’re going to pursue unionizing Amazon. What’s your plan?
It’s not going to be a traditional organizing drive, because Amazon went from being a book club to a global economy. The traditional tactics of standing outside the gates and handing out cards aren’t going to work, but we’re going to pursue organizing the warehouses because that’s where the majority of their employees are. We’re going to do a few different things. Number one, we are going to have to negotiate strong contracts in similar companies like UPS and DHL, where we have a template to show unorganized workers what...
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