Labour union wins election at Amazon warehouse in New York

It is the first successful unionisation effort at an Amazon warehouse in the USA

The Amazon Labor Union (ALU) was declared the winner of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election conducted in Staten Island, New York, on Friday, in one of the most significant worker victories in modern US labour history.

The election results mark the first time that a majority of employees at an Amazon facility have voted to join a union.

After six days of in-person voting, the ALU received 2,654 votes versus 2,131 for Amazon, according to the NLRB. The JFK8 facility has a total workforce of approximately 5,000 people.

Sixty-seven votes were disputed but that was too few to change the result, so the results were declared final.

Amazon has five business days to file objections, and has released a statement saying it is contemplating doing just that.

'We're disappointed with the outcome of the election in Staten Island because we believe having a direct relationship with the company is best for our employees,' the statement said.

The firm is weighing its options, which include filing objections based on the NLRB's "inappropriate and undue influence," it said.

The NLRB is an independent federal agency dedicated to protecting workers' rights. It is responsible for supervising union elections but takes no hand in trying to influence the outcome.

The ALU, which is made up of current and former Amazon workers, has been trying to organise Amazon employees in New York for about two years.

The group initiated an organising bid after some employees participating in planning a walkout were penalised or dismissed. Among those fired was Chris Smalls, who drew the attention of Amazon's senior management.

Amazon's chief counsel, David Zapolsky, stated in a leaked internal memo that the firm should aim to make Smalls the face of the movement because he's neither "smart" nor "articulate".

The ALU submitted a request with the NLRB in October 2021 to conduct a union election at two Amazon sites on Staten Island, but it subsequently withdrew the proposal due to a lack of signatures.

In December, it re-filed the request, this time focusing just on the JFK8 warehouse.

The JFK8 election is the first in the US to approve a union for Amazon warehouse employees.

In Bessemer, Alabama, the NLRB discarded the results of the first election after determining that Amazon had improperly influenced the vote.

In the second election held at Bessemer warehouse last week, 933 people voted against the union, while 875 people voted in favour.

However, since 416 disputed votes are still to be tallied, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) has a chance to win.

The NLRB will announce the results within the next two weeks.

Considering the surprise strength shown by unions at both sites, Amazon is likely to face increased pressure from labour groups at its facilities.

In November, thousands of Amazon workers around the world protested on Black Friday as part of the 'Make Amazon Pay' campaign.

The campaign group included 70 trade unions and organisations, who called for better working conditions at Amazon offices and warehouses, fair wages for employees, and accountability from top executives.

The ALU has said that it will demand a starting wage of $30, up from the current average income of $18.

The union will also push for two paid thirty-minute breaks and a paid one-hour lunch break.

These requests will certainly be met with resistance from Amazon, both to save money at the warehouse and to prevent other workers who are considering joining a union from doing so.

According to the Huffington Post, the firm spent $4.3 million last year fighting unionisation drives around the country. Amazon also reportedly paid $3,200 a day to professional union busters.