Chris Smalls — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Named one of Time's most influential people of 2022
Co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) in 2021
Organized a walkout at Amazon JFK8 in 2020 to protest COVID-19 safety protocols
Led the Amazon Labor Union to successfully unionize the JFK8 warehouse in 2022

Biography

Christian Smalls is an American labor organizer and activist, born on July 4, 1988. He is recognized for his pivotal role in organizing Amazon workers in Staten Island, New York City. Smalls co-founded the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) in 2021 and served as its president until July 2024.

Smalls began working at Amazon in 2015. On March 30, 2020, he organized a walkout at the Amazon JFK8 warehouse to protest what he described as inadequate safety protocols regarding COVID-19 exposures.