Workers at a Amazon’s warehouse on Staten Island voted against unionization, marking the first loss to the fledgling, worker-led Amazon Labor Union (ALU). When the vote tally ended on Monday, workers at the LDJ5 sorting center voted 618 to 380 against union representation. The failure marks a major setback for ALU, which has been on a strong growth path since its first win last month. The ALU said it would contest the results and call a new election.
As the company consolidates its lead in the vote count, ALU tweeted, “Regardless of the outcome of the election, workers are uniting for change at the LDJ5, JFK8 and around the world. Mega Corporations continue to spend millions on alliance sabotage + fear tactics and we continue to organize for a society free from exploitation and greed.”
After ALU’s stunning win at the JFK8 fulfillment center across the street in April, Amazon is challengeThe company has pushed its heavy anti-union campaign to the next level, according to workers.
“We are delighted that our team at LDJ5 was able to hear their voices,” Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said in an emailed statement. “We look forward to continuing to work directly together as we strive to improve every day for our employees.”
Organizers said all anti-union consultants from JFK8 walked across the street to LDJ5, where the workforce numbered 1,600, or a fifth less than JFK8. Amazon used common tactics such as forced anti-union or “detained” meetings, live chat, social media advertising, mailers, signage, text messages. texts and in-app messages through the company’s internal A-to-Z app. Along with these measures, the union said it prevented workers from hanging pro-union banners in the break room they had authorized at JFK8.
Seth Goldstein, an attorney representing ALU, said the company has also hired at least one anti-union consultant as an Amazon employee. This allows them to blend in as they go about the floors, said one LDJ5 worker who prefers to use the pseudonym Maria for fear of reprisal. “It looks like The Art of War of Sun Tzu,” she said. “One of his methods was to infiltrate, pretend you were part of a group, and then divide and conquer. They are doing that. ” Labor consultants are required to file paperwork with the Department of Labor regarding their fees, which, although these are often filed after an election, are too late for voters to find out the details of their fees. their employers’ agreements with these companies Last year, Amazon spent 4.3 million dollars on anti-union consultants, according to federal filings.
Amazon has given anti-union consultants free warehouse management during shifts, but has cracked down on workers who promote unions while on the job. Goldstein said one worker was put in writing because supervisors heard her discuss the union during working hours. This campaign reduced mobility before and after work, lunchtime and a 15-minute break. “We are tired, but we just keep going there. We were dedicated,” Maria said last week during the election. “We’re basically running on coffee, smoke and spirits right now.”
