Breaking Through Award 2024 goes to Franco da Rocha Union for Amazon organizing in Brazil

The Commerce Union of Franco da Rocha and Região has been awarded the UNI Global Union Breaking Through Award for its efforts to organize Amazon warehouse workers in São Paulo, marking a significant step in the fight to improve working conditions in Brazil’s e-commerce sector.

Working with UNI Americas and the Commerce Workers Union of São Paulo, the Franco da Rocha union launched a campaign in 2022 to build worker support at an Amazon distribution centre. The initiative has since seen hundreds of workers join the union and participate in mapping surveys to identify key workplace issues.

“As an Amazon employee and a newly elected union director, I’m proud that we’re breaking barriers, supporting a global fight to improve conditions for workers at the company and within e-commerce in general,” said Heron Alves, a member of the union’s Board of Directors.

Since the campaign began, the Franco da Rocha union has reported several key developments:

• Union Growth: Over 600 Amazon employees have joined the union, with active membership currently at around 315 amid high turnover rates.
• Worker Insights: Nearly 200 employees participated in a 2023 workplace mapping survey, helping union leaders understand job roles and challenges across the warehouse.
• Leadership: Alves’ election as a union director marked the first time an Amazon worker has held a board position with Franco da Rocha.
• Engagement: A 2024 survey collected responses from over 100 Amazon employees, identifying negotiation priorities and gathering contact information for further outreach.

The union has now submitted its bargaining priorities to Amazon, aiming to negotiate the region’s first bilateral agreement for Amazon workers.

The award underscores the union’s work to defend labour rights within one of the most anti-union corporations in the world.