Amazon Labor Union defeated in New York election
News comes as document reveals the tech giant's staggering worker attrition rate
Amazon workers at a warehouse in Schodack, New York, have voted against forming a union in a setback for the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), which is attempting to expand its unionisation effort at the e-commerce company.
According to National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), employees at the ALB1 warehouse in Schodack, near Albany, voted 406 to 206 against joining the union.
Almost 950 employees were eligible to cast vote in the election.
"We're proud of the brave workers in upstate New York who stood up in the face of a vicious anti-union campaign to challenge a trillion-dollar corporation," ALU president Chris Smalls said after the election results were declared.
He added that the ALU would continue to organise in Schodack.
Smalls claimed that the election had not been conducted in a free and fair manner. Even before the votes were counted on Tuesday, the union raised concern that Amazon was subjecting employees to continuous intimidation in an effort to thwart a union victory.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel welcomed the election result.
"We're glad that our team in Albany was able to have their voices heard, and that they chose to keep the direct relationship with Amazon as we think that this is the best arrangement for both our employees and customers," she said.
The vote was the ALU's second unsuccessful election since a surprise win in April this year when workers at an Amazon facility in Staten Island, New York, voted to establish the first union of the company's warehouse workers in the United States.
Following a recent wage hike, ALB1 employees' basic compensation is now around $17 per hour, according to Amazon.
Amazon recently increased the starting wages for front-line workers by $1, bringing the average across the country to $19 per hour.
The company executives have said that they see unions as a potential obstacle to flexibility.
The union defeat at the ALB1 warehouse comes after a week of labour unrest at Amazon, which coincided with last week's Prime Early Access Sale.
Workers at two facilities in Illinois and two in Georgia walked out over demands that included salary increases, safeguards against sexual harassment, and protections against injury.
Amazon's attrition rate
Some union activists have lost their jobs at Amazon in recent months. According to the company, employees were terminated for violating internal policies.
Engadget claims to have seen the company's internal document showing that Amazon has staggering attrition rate that costs the firm billions of dollars a year.
In 2021, just one-third of Amazon's new recruits staying with the company for over 90 days before leaving, being fired, or being laid off, according to the leaked documents, which include internal research papers, spreadsheets and slide decks.
The report says employees are twice as likely to depart by choice rather than because they were fired or laid off.
The issue is widespread throughout the company, not just warehouse employees.
An Amazon told the publication: "As a company, we recognise that it's our employees who contribute daily to our success and that's why we're always evaluating how we're doing and ways we can improve.
"Attrition is something all employers face, but we want to do everything we can to make Amazon an employer of choice. This is accomplished through offering good pay, comprehensive benefits, a safe workplace, and robust training and educational opportunities that are effective, yet always improving."