Handbook for the Revolution: Building a More Perfect Union for the Twenty-First Century

Palmer, cofounder and former vice president of the Amazon Labor Union, debuts with a conversational how-to for unionizing one’s workplace. In April 2022, the Staten Island Amazon fulfillment center where Palmer worked became the company’s first unionized facility in America. Palmer lays out how he and his compatriots did it, starting with the conditions that led to the union drive in the first place, including racism and dangerous working conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic. He covers the basics, including how to find a labor lawyer and how to set up a website and secure funds; describes what made the Amazon Labor Union specifically work so well (he chalks it up to their embrace of music, food, and culture); and describes some common setbacks and company counterattacks, such as grueling “captive audience meetings” where workers are required to listen to hours of antiunion arguments. Throughout, his guidance is as common sense as it is compassionate: “This may all be starting to feel overwhelming. You’re working a job and now suddenly I’m saying you need to go home and study state and federal law in your spare time? I know that can feel like a lot,” he writes. It’s a useful manual for those with a budding interest in unionizing. (May)