A federal labour board will tally votes cast by warehouse workers in yet another election on Staten Island on Monday, in a rematch between Amazon and the nascent group that successfully organised the company’s first-ever US union.
A second win could provide the impetus for workers at other Amazon locations — and at other companies — to launch similar initiatives. It could also strengthen the Amazon Labor Union, a grassroots group of former and current Amazon employees who won a historic victory last month.
A union defeat, on the other hand, could dampen some of the labour celebrations and raise questions about whether the first victory was a fluke.
The results of the election are expected to be announced early Monday evening by the National Labor Relations Board. The agency must still decide whether to certify the first win, which has been disputed by Amazon. There are far fewer workers eligible to vote in this latest election versus last month’s — about 1,500 compared with 8,300 at the neighboring Staten Island facility.
The union won an unexpected victory last month and has been backed by high-profile figures including US Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Amazon is urging its workers to reject the union effort, posting anti-union flyers and launching a website urging “vote NO”.
Organisers called for better job protection and a higher hourly wage of $30 (roughly Rs. 2,300), up from the minimum of just over $18 currently offered. Spence said they also tailored their pitch to part-time workers, whom the facility depends on heavily and who have been waiting on their requests to transfer to full-time work.
The company says it wants a redo election, but pro-union experts believe it’s an effort to delay contract negotiations and potentially blunt some of the organising momentum. Organisers believe such a move would fulfill President Donald Trump’s promise to “ensure federal contracts only go to employers who sign neutrality agreements”.
The company has been criticized for its high warehouse injury rates. Two New York state lawmakers have introduced a bill to regulate warehouse productivity quotas. The bill’s sponsors said they were motivated by ALU’s impending contract negotiations with the company. Some workers at the Staten Island facility voted against unionizing, saying they already feel taken care of by Amazon.
One of the warehouse workers voted against it, saying he read online that his wages might go down. But another warehouse worker turned organizer decided to join the effort after attending a union organizing call. He says he put in a request with Amazon about two months ago to switch to full-time work.
