Employees at an Amazon distribution heart close to Albany, New York, have voted decisively in opposition to forming a union, rejecting a bid by organizers to create the corporate’s second unionized facility within the U.S.
Staff on the ALB1 facility in Castleton would have been represented by the Amazon Labor Union, the identical upstart group that gained a historic election on the firm’s JFK8 warehouse on Staten Island in New York Metropolis earlier this yr. The “no” votes got here out forward by a roughly 2-1 margin.
Chris Smalls, president of the ALU, stated in a press release that the voting course of “wasn’t free and truthful.”
“It was a sham election the place employees had been subjected to intimidation and retaliation each day and even the employees who volunteered to be election observers had been confronted with threats of termination,” Smalls alleged.
He added, “This gained’t be the tip of ALU at ALB1.”
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel stated in a press release that the corporate would “proceed to work immediately with our teammates in Albany.”
“We’re glad that our crew in Albany was in a position to have their voices heard, and that they selected to maintain the direct relationship with Amazon as we predict that that is the perfect association for each our staff and prospects,” Nantel stated.
The union could select to problem the election outcomes and demand a second vote, arguing that Amazon broke labor legislation through the marketing campaign. The Nationwide Labor Relations Board, the federal company that oversees private-sector union elections, has not but licensed the outcomes. The union would have per week to make an enchantment.
The ALB1 facility handles massive merchandise that’s shipped out to prospects and employs round 900 employees. It’s a lot smaller by headcount than the Staten Island facility, which employs round 8,000 folks.
After prevailing at JFK8, the ALU misplaced their second vote in Could at one other, smaller facility in New York Metropolis. A loss on the facility close to Albany would mark the union’s second defeat. The ALU just lately filed for one more election at a warehouse in Southern California.
The vote rely for ALB1 was performed on the labor board’s workplace in Albany and broadcast to the general public over Zoom.
The retail and tech big is considered one of a number of main U.S. employers dealing with an organizing wave within the office. The NLRB just lately stated employees filed extra union election petitions this previous fiscal yr than in any since 2016. Corporations together with Amazon, Starbucks, Dealer Joe’s, REI and Apple have all seen a share of their U.S. workforces unionize for the primary time in current months.
Amazon, which now employs roughly one million American employees, has fought its staff’ organizing efforts for years. In 2021, it spent greater than $4 million on union-avoidance consultants who held group and one-on-one conferences meant to undermine union help. The ALU stated the corporate held mandatory sessions at ALB1 the place staff listened to anti-union speaking factors.
The NLRB’s normal counsel just lately discovered benefit in allegations from the union that Amazon violated the legislation by holding such conferences, and by threatening to withhold sure advantages if employees selected to unionize.
This story has been up to date with remark from Amazon and the ALU.