Topline
Amazon workers at a warehouse in Staten Island voted in favor of unionizing on Friday, in the first success the labor movement has had in organizing workers at the country’s second-largest private employer following years of pressure from labor advocates who have claimed Amazon mistreats its workers.
Amazon delivery vans are seen leaving the Amazon’s JFK8 Staten Island fulfillment center in Staten … [+]
Key Facts
Workers voted 2,654-2,131 to unionize, handing a bitter defeat to the e-commerce giant, which has fought unionization efforts for years.
The vote to unionize in New York City comes one day after about 53% of workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., voted against unionization in a do-over election—though the official outcome has not been decided, as the votes were too close to call.
The National Labor Relations Board said 416 votes had been challenged in the Bessemer election, which is enough to change the current outcome.
Some 70% of Amazon workers in Bessemer voted against the union during the first election held last year, but the NLRB granted workers another chance to unionize following “objections to Amazon’s conduct,” including accusations that the company was intimidating workers into voting no.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Key Background
The union attempting to organize Bessemer warehouse workers is the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), while the Staten Island effort is being driven by a new organization started by current and former warehouse employees called the Amazon Labor Union. The ALU is headed by Christian Smalls, a former assistant manager at the Staten Island warehouse who was fired after organizing a walkout over work conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic (Smalls said it was retaliation, while Amazon said he was terminated for violating a policy that required employees to quarantine after being notified of a possible Covid-19 exposure, CNN reports). The New York Times reported last year some workers at JFK8, the Staten Island warehouse, had lost their benefits or their jobs due to errors with a new management system, and faced large employee turnover. Employees in Staten Island are seeking longer breaks, paid time off for injured workers and a $30 hourly wage, the Associated Press reports.
What To Watch For
A second Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, LDJ5, is scheduled to begin a union election on April 25.
Tangent
In Bessemer, workers reported “dehumanizing” working conditions, such as 10-hour shifts on their feet with no breaks, leading to widespread attention on how the company treated its workers. Amazon denied the claims of poor working conditions, stating that the company pays above minimum wage and provides benefits without union involvement, and pushed workers to vote no.
Further Reading
Inside Amazon’s Employment Machine (The New York Times)
Why Do Amazon Workers In New York City Want To Unionize? (Forbes)
Amazon Warehouse Workers In Alabama Get To Redo Union Election, Labor Board Says (Forbes)
Amazon Union Vote Should Be Redone, National Labor Official Says Amid Allegations Of Interference (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/04/01/amazon-workers-in-staten-island-vote-to-unionize-in-blow-to-retail-giant/