Amazon union is sued by organizers and former leaders seeking a new election for union officers

abcnews.go.com:

The union that successfully organized an Amazon warehouse in New York is being sued by a splinter group that includes some former leaders

New York — A group including former leaders of the fledgling union that organized an Amazon warehouse in New York is suing the union, accusing it of violating its own constitution and asking the court to force an election for union officers.

The complaint, filed Monday in U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of New York, comes as the upstart Amazon Labor Union – the only certified group representing Amazon workers – struggles to recapture the momentum that led to its surprise victory last year following a series of setbacks.

Since that win, the group has lost union elections at two other Amazon facilities and abandoned efforts at a third warehouse in California. Some prominent members have resigned quietly or left in protest over internal strife and disagreements.

Media reports have also recounted a physical fight between union president Chris Smalls and a former member of the group. Another prominent leader, Derrick Palmer, resigned in May after it was revealed that he had been arrested last year for aggravated assault in a domestic violence incident.

Amazon, meanwhile, has been challenging the union’s initial win and still hasn’t come to the bargaining table.

In the complaint, the splinter group, which calls itself A.L.U. Democratic Reform Caucus and includes the union’s co-founder and former treasurer, Connor Spence, argues the union, at the direction of Smalls, amended its constitution without allowing members to vote on its adoption. One of the changes, the complaint said, was to “refuse to hold officer elections which should have been scheduled no later than March