The Nationwide Labor Relations Board has authorised a union election at a second Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, opening a brand new entrance within the rising challenges to the corporate’s labor mannequin.
The company knowledgeable the corporate on Wednesday that the brand new Amazon Labor Union on Staten Island had collected sufficient signatures to show adequate curiosity in holding an election at a warehouse referred to as LDJ5, mentioned Christian Smalls, a former Amazon worker who’s main the organizing effort there.
Amazon is already going through an in-person union vote from March 25 to 30 at JFK8, an enormous neighboring warehouse, in addition to an election at one other firm warehouse this month in Bessemer, Ala., exterior Birmingham. Mr. Smalls mentioned the logistics of the newest Staten Island voting can be hashed out at a listening to on the company on March 14.
Kelly Nantel, a spokeswoman for Amazon, mentioned the corporate was wanting “ahead to having our workers’ voices heard.” She added that the corporate was centered “on working instantly with our group to make Amazon an ideal place to work.”
Final 12 months, staff on the Alabama warehouse voted in opposition to becoming a member of a union, however the labor company threw out the outcome after discovering Amazon had improperly interfered with the election.
In a message despatched to workers on the LDJ5 warehouse on Wednesday shortly after the company’s determination, Amazon sought to steer staff in opposition to siding with the fledgling union. The union “will proceed to vow you issues like higher pay and advantages simply to get your assist,” however “you can find yourself with the identical, roughly than what you could have now” whereas paying union dues, the message mentioned.
Mr. Smalls mentioned the notion that staff would find yourself with much less because of becoming a member of the union was a “blatant lie” and was not efficient. “We positively know Amazon goes to unfold anti-union propaganda, however that’s to be anticipated,” he mentioned.