Derrick Palmer

Derrick Palmer is an American labor activist and co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union, the first independent union to represent Amazon workers in the United States. Palmer began his career at Amazon's EWR4 facility in Robbinsville, New Jersey, where he worked as an Amazon ambassador and trained more than 1,000 new associates. He was later selected by Amazon to train new hires at the JFK8 facility in Staten Island, New York. As he trained additional associates, Palmer became well known throughout the building and was consistently among the top performers in his department. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Palmer raised concerns about Amazon's response to the crisis, and he and his co-workers organized and protested when Amazon did not implement measures to protect workers at JFK8.

After his colleague Chris Smalls was dismissed from the company, Palmer and Smalls initiated a unionization effort and co-founded the Amazon Labor Union. Following Smalls' departure, they created The Congress of Essential Workers and organized to unionize 8,300 warehouse workers into the Amazon Labor Union, leading a significant labor movement at Amazon and sparking a nationwide wave of new organizing efforts despite Amazon's multimillion-dollar investment in anti-union tactics. The Amazon warehouse known as JFK8 in Staten Island became the company's first unionized facility after workers voted in favor of unionization, marking a milestone for worker-led organizing at a major corporation.

Palmer and Smalls built institutional and political influence, assisting other Amazon warehouses in unionizing and working at the legislative level to advance worker protections. The Amazon Labor Union contributed to the drafting and passage of the New York State Warehouse Worker Protection Act, which provides safeguards for warehouse workers against undisclosed or unlawful work speed quotas. Following the union victory, Palmer and Smalls traveled across the country to support workers at Amazon and other corporations in forming their own unions.

Palmer and Smalls were recognized on Time's 100 Most Influential People list and as one of the Dynamic Duos on Ebony's Power 100 list. Palmer also served as a named plaintiff in a lawsuit against Amazon on behalf of JFK8 employees and their families, alleging that Amazon interfered with workers' right to public health and did not follow CDC recommendations and New York State public health laws.

Palmer has remained active in the labor movement since the union victory at JFK8. In his book, "Handbook for the Revolution: Building a More Perfect Union for the Twenty-First Century," Palmer provides an inside look at the Amazon Labor Union, sharing strategies and tactics used by workers to organize and advocate for labor rights. With other Amazon warehouses beginning to unionize and workers worldwide inspired by the Amazon Labor Union, Palmer emphasizes the importance of collective action and knowledge sharing. Palmer continues to work at the Amazon JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, offering a firsthand perspective on labor organizing and workplace advocacy.