Workers at an Amazon facility near Albany, New York, voted decisively against becoming representatives of the startup’s Amazon union, undermining efforts to expand the union across the giant e-commerce company.
Warehouse workers cast 206 votes to be represented by the union, with 406 voting against, according to a tally released Tuesday by the National Labor Relations Board. Nearly 950 workers were eligible to vote.
The vote failed in the Amazon union’s second election since April’s surprise victory when workers at Amazon’s Staten Island facility voted to form the first union of the company’s warehouse workers in the United States. .
“We are pleased that our team in Albany can hear their voices and that they have chosen to maintain a direct relationship with Amazon,” said Kelly, an Amazon spokeswoman. Nantel said in a statement.
In recent months, Amazon unions have focused on whether to focus on winning contracts at the Staten Island facility known as JFK8, or expand its reach to other warehouses across the country through additional elections. was discussed.
Union president Christian Smalls is “all in favor of trying to create an opportunity for as many workers as possible to vote,” said Casio Mendoza, a JFK8 worker and union communications director. At the same time, the union is feeling pressure to show progress to Staten Island workers, and has recently stepped up its internal organizing there after months of minimal public activity.
Tuesday’s results from the ALB1 warehouse in Castleton-on-Hudson, about 10 miles south of Albany, New York, didn’t seem to deter the union from reaching beyond JFK8.
“I am determined to continue and expand our campaign to treat all Amazon workers fairly,” Smalls said in a statement. “He misses 100% of the shots he doesn’t hit.”
About 80% of the union budget, which exceeds $500,000, is focused on Staten Island, union officials say. The rest are set aside for expansion efforts, including ALB1 and a Southern California facility that filed an election petition last week.
Smalls said the election “wasn’t free and fair.” Even before the votes were tallied on Tuesday, unions expressed concern that Amazon may have improperly interfered with the vote, laying the grounds for legal challenges to the results.
Labor Commission officials are investigating 27 unfair labor practices charges filed against Amazon by labor unions before the vote began, the agency said last week. have submitted their concerns.
One of them, according to Retu Singla, a lawyer representing the union, was suspended after one of Amazon’s anti-union consultants tracked him down during the voting period and complained of harassing him. It contained an allegation that
“They’re trying to get votes during the election,” Mendoza said, adding that the consultants appeared to be wearing work clothes and Amazon vests.
Another employee, who was not directly involved in the union movement and requested anonymity, on the first day of voting, wearing an Amazon vest but ignorant of the basics of the job, questions the union’s ability to negotiate contracts.
Former NLRB attorney Matthew Bodie, now at the University of Minnesota Law School, said he was allowed one-on-one conversations with workers during the voting period, but he was not allowed to misrepresent the identity of a company agent. He said that trying to deceive the voters could interfere with voting. selection.
Amazon declined to comment on the allegations.
ALB1 warehouse that handles large items such as outdoor goods and TVs.A recent report by worker advocacy group The facility was found to have the highest rate of serious injuries among Amazon warehouses in New York for which the group had government data.
Amazon emphasizes minimum starting salaries and benefits, and says it has improved its safety record more than other retailers in recent years. In a message to workers, he questioned the experience of the Amazon union and said workers could be in worse shape if they voted for the union.
In an interview outside a warehouse in September, some Amazon workers said they supported unions because their wages were too low, especially given how physically demanding the work could be. The company recently increased the starting salary for warehouse workers from $15.70 to $17 per hour.
“I think we need unions. We need more salaries,” said Masud Abdullah, a warehouse employee. He made about $22 an hour at an industrial bakery, but he quit the job because the hours didn’t fit his childcare responsibilities, he said.
He and other employees also said they feel Amazon’s disciplinary policies can be arbitrary. “It’s like you don’t have anyone to represent you,” Abdullah said. “They could let you in and out of anything.”
Other workers said they didn’t think a union was necessary because Amazon already offers stable salaries and benefits, such as medical insurance and college tuition subsidies. even acknowledged that the company often treated its workers well.
Some workers expressed skepticism that Amazon unions would deliver on promises such as better wages. Jacob Carpenter, who works at the warehouse, said, “I feel like I haven’t seen any evidence. He added he plans to vote against it.”
Amazon has battled a successful union vote in Staten Island. Labor board officials recently backed the union’s victory after lengthy hearings about the company’s objections to that election. Amazon has yet to intervene, but said it plans to appeal to the JFK8 workers. The union recently filed a petition to pressure Amazon to hold contract negotiations.