Organizer Heather Goodall, who works at Amazon’s warehouse close to Albany, N.Y., leads supporters of the Amazon Labor Union in a march on Oct. 10.
Lucas Willard/WAMC
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Lucas Willard/WAMC
Organizer Heather Goodall, who works at Amazon’s warehouse close to Albany, N.Y., leads supporters of the Amazon Labor Union in a march on Oct. 10.
Lucas Willard/WAMC
Amazon warehouse staff close to Albany, N.Y., have voted no to a union, delivering a blow to the fledgling effort to prepare staff at one of many nation’s largest employers.
Greater than 900 Amazon staff had been eligible to vote on whether or not to hitch the upstart Amazon Labor Union, federal officers mentioned. The vote tally was 406 votes in opposition to unionizing to 206 votes in favor.
The ALU beforehand made historical past when it received a union election on Staten Island in New York, unionizing Amazon’s first U.S. warehouse, one with greater than 8,300 staff. Later, it fell wanting successful sufficient votes to unionize a second warehouse on Staten Island in New York.
After a long time of efficiently preventing off labor organizing makes an attempt because it grew into one of many nation’s prime employers, Amazon has now confronted 5 union elections in lower than two years. With Tuesday’s consequence, unions have up to now prevailed in solely one of many 5.
On the Albany-area warehouse, referred to as ALB1, staff voted in individual for 4 days, casting ballots in a tent within the facility’s parking zone. Nationwide Labor Relations Board officers tallied them by hand in a course of streamed over stay video on Tuesday.
“This would possibly not be the tip of ALU at ALB1,” ALU President Chris Smalls mentioned in a press release, accusing the corporate of intimidating staff and in any other case influencing the election final result.
“We’re full of resolve to proceed and increase our marketing campaign for truthful remedy for all Amazon staff,” he mentioned. “When staff are empowered to tackle a grasping uncaring firm with a poor security observe document and a excessive churn fee of staff, it is not a loss, it is an ongoing battle.”
Amazon representatives didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Smalls — a warehouse worker fired by Amazon after he helped stage a pandemic-era walkout — beforehand mentioned he had heard from staff at dozens of extra Amazon warehouse excited by unionizing. Final week, Amazon staff in California grew to become the most recent to petition for a vote to hitch the ALU.
On the Albany-area warehouse, federal labor officers had given the go forward to the union election after assessing the variety of signatures gathered by organizers. Guidelines require them to submit signatures from 30% of the employees they search to signify. The union had estimated about 400 staff had been eligible to vote, although Amazon later mentioned the warehouse employed greater than 800 individuals.
Professional-union staff on the warehouse have advocated for increased pay and cite numerous security considerations. Earlier this month, a fireplace broke out; an investigation is ongoing. Organizers have additionally accused Amazon of intimidation and retaliation, whereas the corporate staged obligatory conferences for workers aimed to discourage pro-union votes.
Amazon representatives have mentioned that conferences had been to teach staff concerning the means of becoming a member of a union and that the corporate made a whole lot of modifications associated to operations and security based mostly on worker suggestions. Amazon touts its advantages and wages, with beginning pay of warehouse and supply staff rising to $16 an hour starting this month.
Below mounting scrutiny for its employee insurance policies, Amazon in December reached a settlement with the Nationwide Labor Relations Board geared toward making it simpler for workers to prepare. Nonetheless, the corporate continues to face quite a few fees of unfair labor practices, which it rejects.
Shortly after the ALU’s Staten Island success, staff at one other, smaller Staten Island warehouse voted in opposition to becoming a member of the union. And in Alabama, Amazon warehouse staff held a do-over union vote after U.S. labor officers discovered the corporate unfairly influenced their authentic election in 2021. The brand new election outcomes stay too near name .
Earlier than that, in 2014, a small group of upkeep and restore techs at a Delaware warehouse voted in opposition to unionizing. In 2000, a union drive tried to prepare 400 Amazon call-center staff in Seattle, however the firm shuttered the middle amid a reorganization throughout dot-com bust.
Editor’s word: Amazon is amongst NPR’s current monetary supporters.
