Chris Smalls. Photo: Taken from Facebook

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Thomas Jefferson, United States Declaration of Independence

It's been a long time since I believe that events happened by chance. I believe that, in certain situations, destiny shows us the way. And then, clearly, Chris Smalls, the former employee who beat Amazon and managed to create the first union of the company in the United States, with this date of birth, at the end of the 80s, could only be a rebel, who would make history in his country.

He created a union in one of the largest capitalist enterprises in the world.

Amazon, the e-commerce giant created by Jeff Bezos, the third richest man in the world (139.1 billion dollars, according to Forbes), is the second private employer in the United States, with more than 1.6 million workers (only surpassed by Walmart, with 2.3 million) was forced, in April 2022, to recognize for the first time a union in the US.

Workers at a New York corporate warehouse voted 55% to join the association seeking to defend their rights.

The group that promoted the initiative was led by former company employee Chris Smalls, who rose to fame for his protest against safety conditions at the retail giant during the pandemic.

Smalls' victory marks a major defeat for Amazon, which has fought unionization at its warehouses for decades.

Time magazine named him one of the most influential people of 2022.

And this is where solidarity comes into play. A spirit as combative as Chris's, not only takes care of his co-workers, but his vision goes beyond the borders of the US, and decides to defend and vindicate against the injustices that the giant of his country commits against a small but brave Caribbean island, Cuba.

I was able to talk with Chris Smalls at the International Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba and Anti-Imperialism, 200 years after the Monroe Doctrine, held in Havana on May 2, 2023.

There were a thousand participants in the meeting, representatives of 271 political, trade union and social organizations from 58 countries, and about 300 were young US citizens, who wanted to express their protest against the blockade of Cuba and show their solidarity with the rebellious island.

It's not the first time Chris has spoken out against the blockade. Already in March 2023, during the International Conference for the Normalization of Relations between the United States and Cuba, Smalls considered that the island represents a bulwark for the labor movement around the world.

"The blockade that the United States maintains today against Cuba constitutes a clear attempt to reverse the conquests of the workers, who took power in 1959," the union leader said during the conference.

When I approach Chris, unfortunately I discover that he does not speak Spanish, but he immediately looks for an excellent interpreter, a very nice guy, Luis Malik, from Los Angeles, who is an activist with the group LA US Hands Off Cuba, to lend himself to be my interpreter.

When I introduce myself and explain to Chris that I am Italian and have lived in Cuba for almost 23 years, he gets excited, hugs me and smiles at me saying out loud "wowwww".

"I am the founder of the first Amazon Corporation union in New York. I represent more than 8 000 workers. I am here in Cuba for the first time, to show my solidarity with the Cuban people, against the genocidal blockade that my country exercises against Cuba, and I came with the group from Los Angeles, LA US Hands Off Cuba."

Chris Smalls and the author. Photo: Taken from Facebook

I thank Chris for the immense work he is doing for all the workers of the world, against the monster that is Amazon and I ask him if he is not afraid of being killed by the capitalist giant, now that he represents, for large corporate companies, a big stone in the shoe, for the precedent he set.

"I am motivated by the young workers who support me. I know that when you decide to fight you must be aware of the risks you run, also because it will not be a short battle, on the contrary, I know that they will try to tire me with exhausting fights. In the struggle you have to be decisive, all this I learned from you, the Cubans ... how do you say? 'Are we or are we not?'"

"This all-or-nothing way of thinking is also my way of life."

Finally, sadly, I guess what will happen to the Los Angeles boys next. That is, I ask Chris how they managed to travel directly to Cuba without problems and if they do not fear reprisals upon their return, as indeed will happen to them.

"We travel legally. The organization LA US Hands Off Cuba organizes trips to Cuba, without problems, for 3 or 4 years now, as education delegates. We'll see what happens in the future, I don't think there will be any problem. In any case, whatever happens, we could not miss, we had to be at this appointment to protest against the blockade and demand that it be lifted as soon as possible."

And instead, as always, the Yankees have a very changing view of legality, and they arrested a portion of the guys from LA Hands Off Cuba upon their return. Luckily, nothing happened to Chris Smalls.

But that's a topic for another article.

(Taken from the author's Facebook profile)