Amazon (AMZN) warehouse workers at a facility on Staten Island, New York, began voting in union elections on Friday, e-commerce to a nationwide surge in workers organizing major companies such as Starbucks (SBUX) and Disney. Pushed in the giant (DIS).
The Staten Island warehouse is the second union in a large group of warehouse workers in Amazon’s history, arriving about a year after the overwhelming defeat of Labor Drive at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. Shows the location of the election.
Despite the government’s discovery of illegal Amazon intervention at the Bessemer facility, the results in Alabama provide a warning story to union organizers attempting to break into the company.
Nonetheless, Labor leader Chris Smalls, who leads the organization at Staten Island’s Amazon warehouse, told Yahoo Finance on Friday about the possibility of a union winning among about 6,000 workers at the facility. He said he was optimistic.
According to Smalls, warehouse union campaigns have built trust with workers in calls for higher wages, stronger COVID-19 precautions, and better health and safety protection.
“These workers have seen us over the past 11 months to educate them about what they offer and the quality of life they can offer,” said Smalls, president of the Amazon Trade Union (ALU). I’ve been there. “
Smalls, a former Amazon worker, was dismissed from warehousing at a Staten Island facility in March 2020 the same day he participated in the strike. He then led a series of protests against the company and launched an independent worker-led union campaign in May.
“We definitely have the support of our workers,” Smalls said. “The fact that the organizers in the building are colleagues who connect with them every day— [they] Build relationships and trust. “
Amazon opposed the union. In recent months, the company has held regular mandatory meetings with employees, with representatives expressing concerns about labor drives, according to The New York Times.
The story continues
Amazon workers on Staten Island will protest at Times Square on December 22, 2021, in New York City, USA, claiming union rights. REUTERS / Ahmed Gaber
In November, Amazon described the union movement on Staten Island as follows: “It’s an employee’s choice to join a union. It’s always the case. And it’s important for everyone to understand the facts about joining a union and elections. We handle ourselves.”
“We hold regular briefings for all employees, including the opportunity for employees to ask questions,” the statement continues. “If the union vote is passed, it affects everyone on the site, so it’s important for all employees to understand what it means to them and their daily lives working at Amazon. . “
Indeed, some labor experts told Yahoo Finance in November that the union is unlikely to win.
When ALU applied for the election in October, it was held with the support of about 2,000 workers, who make up about 30% of Staten Island’s eligible workforce. This shows the minimum required to trigger an election, but it’s not enough. Of the majority of support that will be needed to win when elections take place.
Kate Bronfenbrenner, a professor of labor relations at Cornell University, shows that unions often lose support between applying for elections and holding votes as a result of worker turnover and employer anti-union tactics. There is. Yahoo Finance.
Direct elections at the Staten Island facility will end on March 30, and results may be announced the following day.
“We hope to succeed [and] It’s on the right side of next week’s history. “
Max Zahn is a Yahoo Finance reporter. Find him on twitter @MaxZahn_..
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