Amazon Union and Pro-Worker Groups Hold Labor Day Social at Queeny's

Image credit: Indyweek

On Labor Day, around 50 people gathered at Queeny’s bar and restaurant to socialize with union members and community supporters. The event was co-sponsored by Triangle DSA and CAUSE, a union for Amazon workers.

The “Worker’s Social” included speakers from CAUSE leaders such as Rev. Ryan Brown, “Ma Mary” Hill, Dr. Orin Starn, and others. CAUSE announced that it would soon begin a campaign in Durham to unionize Amazon warehouses. The union commented that Durham, a progressive bastion, would offer a more promising setting for ‘community unionism’.

In February 2025, CAUSE lost a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election at the RDU1 warehouse in Garner, NC. It was the second major attempt to unionize an Amazon warehouse in the South after BHM1 in Bessemer, AL. During the run-up to the RDU1 election, Amazon was accused of using illegal tactics such as firing union leaders, including Rev. Brown and Dr. Starn.

During Monday’s event, Triangle DSA promoted Emergency Workplace Organizing Committees (EWOC) and called for participation. EWOC offers resources and trainings to workers attempting to unionize. Mika Murphy, a Triangle DSA leader, also asked the Queeny’s crowd to raise a hand if they were already in a union and then asked who would volunteer as an EWOC trainer. Established during the COVID-19 pandemic, EWOC exists nationwide and represents a partnership between DSA and the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE).

Durham has seen a series of recent victories for organized labor.

In April 2025, the Durham Association of Educators (DAE) reached a “meet and confer” agreement with the Durham Board of Education. Public sector workers in North Carolina are not allowed to engage in collective bargaining due to GS 95-98, a Jim Crow-era state law. As a result, a “meet and confer” agreement” is the closest teachers can get to formal union recognition.

In June 2025, the Durham city council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the right of Amazon workers to unionize with CAUSE. The "Worker's Social" was attended by Nate Baker, the first socialist elected to Durham city council.

In August 2025, the REI Union made a breakthrough in negotiations with the outdoor retailer, taking a major step towards a first union contract. That is good news for REI Union Durham, which represents workers at the REI location in the Renaissance Center next to Southpoint Mall. REI Union Durham won its NLRB election in May 2023.

Also in August 2025, the Duke Graduate Student Union (DGSU) announced that it had reached a tentative first union contract with Duke University. When academic workers voted on the proposed agreement, 99 percent voted in favor. The DGSU victory was achieved about two years after the union won its NLRB election in August 2023 with an 88 percent majority.