Amazon Workers Group In NYC Seek Vote On Unionizing: Report

An independent employee group created by workers at an Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN warehouse in New York City’s Staten Island is seeking to organize a vote for unionizing.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the group called the Amazon Labor Union is planning to file with the National Labor Relations Board on Oct. 25 for an election.

“Workers are demanding Amazon to stop their union-busting practices and allow workers to use their rights to organize towards collective bargaining without interference,” the Amazon Labor Union said in a statement. The organization said it is seeking higher wages, a safer working environment and improved benefits, including paid time off and medical-leave options.

More than 2,000 workers across four Staten Island facilities are in the group. Leading it is Chris Smalls, a former Amazon employee who was fired from the company last year after leading an employee walkout to protest working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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What Happens Next: Smalls’ group is organizing without the backing of an established labor union and is using a GoFundMe campaign to finance its efforts. To date, its crowdfunding raised $20,500.

Amazon has vigorously opposed unionization efforts and previous efforts to unionize its workforce — most recently, in April at a facility in Bessemer, Alabama — have been unsuccessful.

Update: Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, contacted Benzinga to insist the company is not opposed to the concept of unionization.

"Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union," Nantel said. "They always have. As a company, we don’t think unions are the best answer for our employees. Every day we empower people to find ways to improve their jobs, and when they do that we want to make those changes — quickly. That type of continuous improvement is harder to do quickly and nimbly with unions in the middle.

"The benefits of direct relationships between managers and employees can’t be overstated—these relationships allow every employee’s voice to be heard, not just the voices of a select few. We’ve made great progress in recent years and months in important areas like pay and safety. There are plenty of things that we can keep doing better, and that's our focus — to keep getting better every day."

Photo: Marco Verch / Flickr Creative Commons.