Amazon Workers Vote to Unionize in Staten Island
● An Amazon warehouse in Staten Island votes to unionize while another case in Alabama goes in favor of the employer.
Amazon workers are unionizing in the U.S.
On Friday, Amazon workers in the
Staten Island JFK8 warehouse voted in favor of union recognition. Out of 8,325 eligible voters, 2,654 voters voted in favor of union representation, while 2,131 voters voted against it.
In the case of Bessemer, Ala., an organizing effort dubbed “BAmazon” that was two years in the making, things came to a close on Thursday. Out of 6,153 eligible voters, 875 voted in favor of union representation under the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) while 993 voted against unionization. There were 416 determinative challenged ballots meaning there will now be a hearing to decide whether any of the challenged ballots should be opened and counted. There is not yet a date scheduled for this hearing, but it will be in the next few weeks.
The results of either count will not be certified until the Region processes any objections the parties may file, which are expected within five business days. Unfair labor practice charges have also been filed in the Bessemer case, which will be assessed.
The pandemic, along with ongoing racial injustices, catalyzed the union organizers. In Bessemer, 71 percent of the population is Black and more than a quarter of residents live below the poverty line, per U.S. Census data. The National Labor Relations Board held the recount on Thursday after a previous election where Amazon was deemed to have committed physical interference.
In Europe, some Amazon warehouses are already unionized but the steps to unionize in the U.S. comes with significant hardship — given things like lobbying efforts and anti-union tactics.
In a past interview with WWD, Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU, said, “The importance of this election transcends this one warehouse. It even transcends Amazon — it's really about the future of work.”
Regarding the Staten Island results, Amazon issued the following statement: “We're disappointed with the outcome of the election in Staten Island because we believe having a direct relationship with the company is best for our employees. We're evaluating our options, including filing objections based on the inappropriate and undue influence by the NLRB that we and others (including the National
Retail Federation and U.S. Chamber of Commerce) witnessed in this election.”
Last month, REI Soho voted to unionize and the case drew interest given the employer runs a worker cooperative model.