The win on Staten Island certainly looks to have marked a modern-day sea-change, in the history of US union activity.
We learn this morning that unionizing activities are underway at even more facilities around the company’s network of warehouse hubs (but not yet known is the name of the organizing entity / individual(s)). [So, in theory it could be a single disgruntled now ex-employee. But that seems highly unlikely.]
By my count, this marks six separate locations in the process of either starting a recognition campaign, voting on, or appealing an election outcome — each with a charge of unfair tactics. I would expect answers in the Alabama appeal to the NLRB, shortly (at least nominally, an initial loss for the unions — but now under review for unfair labor tactics, by Amazon management, there). Here is the latest, from the local papers — with “the new face of labor” (depicted at right) set to speak there in just about a week and a half:
…According to the charge, Amazon was aware of unionization efforts the employee was part of at the facility. The employee was then fired for a security infraction. The employee was also not allowed to use Amazon’s in-house appeal process, according to the filing.
The complaint filed with the NLRB said the security infraction — or “alleged incident” — did not happen, and that the employee was actually fired because of their support for the union, and to further discourage unionization at the facility….
Chris Smalls, leader of the Amazon Labor Union, was already scheduled to visit Cleveland June 8. He’ll be a special guest at an event at the Building Laborers Local 310.
O’Malley said the entire labor movement stands ready to fight alongside the unionizing Amazon workers.
The 885,000-square-foot fulfillment center opened in North Randall in September 2018 on the site of the old Randall Park mall. It’s one of several fulfillment centers now in Northeast Ohio….
Look, I understand that sometimes in middle management at a big company, it is “hard to see the forest — for the trees“. But what Amazon seems to have forgotten (as alleged, with a series of now six fundamental labor rights violations, across multiple facilities), is that the NLRB may soon simply label the company a “pattern violator” of § 8(a)(5) — and under the Act (as it last did in the late-1940s), impose a nationwide bargaining order, under the Supremes’ Gissel precedents. That would mean that any Amazon employee, nationwide, could simply raise his or her hand, and say they wanted to join, at Staten Island — and Amazon would be ordred to negotiate a nationwide contract for all.
In turn, that contract would start by being set at the very high wage rates prevailing in the NYC metro area. The middle managers at Amazon should read up on the history of the coal miners, steel workers and garment workers of the early half of the 20th Century, and the air-traffic controllers (for a contra example) — as well. Bezos completely mis-apprehends the power of the federal government to order him to either (i) bargain with these honest, hard working but clearly disaffected workers (all at once) — or effectively, (ii) close shop in the USA.
Onward, smiling — with a sunny cool Spring Sunday on tap… and the park — with baby girrrrls, due over in a bit! Yep….
नमस्ते
