Worker: Axed for union try at Amazon
For a second, the sky WAS falling in Bronx
A worker at Amazon’s fulfillment center on Staten Island says the online retail giant fired him because he became the public face of efforts to unionize the facility, according to labor charges filed Wednesday.
Justin Rashad Long accused Amazon of canning him over a minor safety violation last month because he spoke out about long hours and dangerous conditions at the fulfillment center, and spoke at a union rally on the steps of City Hall, according to charges filed on his behalf by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
Long started working at the fulfillment center in October. Amazon fired him Feb. 12, two days before the company announced it was canceling a plan to open a headquarters in Queens.
The Staten Island center employs human workers and robots, and Amazon fired Long because he stepped into a robot-only section of the center Feb. 8 because “a product fell off a robot, which was close to where he was working,” according to the charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board.
“Long’s termination for his purported safety violation was pretext for being outspoken against the working conditions at the facility,” the charges allege, noting that another employee was only given a two-week suspension for the same transgression.
“My getting fired is a clear act of retaliation by Amazon. The incident that Amazon cites as the reason for my firing is bogus,” Long said. “I’m filing charges of unfair labor practices because it’s unfair and wrong that Amazon fired me for speaking out and organizing at my workplace.”
Amazon countered in a statement Wednesday night that Long committed a serious safety infraction, and contended that the company already offers the pay, benefits and advancement opportunities called for by unions.
“Mr. Long’s allegations are false. His employment was terminated for violating a serious safety policy,” Amazon spokeswoman Ashley Robinson said. “All employees, including Mr. Long, are trained from day one on the importance of safety and their role in maintaining a safe workplace.”
Long said at a Dec. 12 rally that management forces the center’s employees to work 12-hour shifts for five or six days a week, and described sweltering heat inside the facility, overstuffed product bins and long lines at metal detectors at the end of each shift.
Mayor de Blasio called out Amazon in a tweet Wednesday night. “New York City is a union town, and no company should be able to trample on the rights of workers. These allegations are unacceptable and we implore the National Labor Relations Board to hold Amazon accountable.”