The workers of the Staten Island fulfillment center at Amazon will arrange a long-awaited union vote next month. The in-person election is scheduled from March 25-30, consonant with the unfolding of a mail-in re-vote at Bessemer, Alabama warehouse of the company. The current President of the Amazon Labor Union organization, Christian Smalls issued a statement.
Smalls said Amazon and the National Labor Relations Board had reached an agreement for the election. Amazon also confirmed employees via text message about the deal. Amazon implemented aggressive mechanisms in the buildup election of April 2021. Most factors such as an on-site mailbox and the sign of ‘Vote No’.
It eventually confirms the objections from the Retail, Wholesales, and Department Store Union, which forced the proposed follow-up election. The employees of Amazon protested in 2020 regarding the conditions of workers at the warehouse. It was the time when the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic badly affected New York City.
Walmart’s Campaign against Christian Smalls
However, Smalls was terminated the day he conducted the walkout, while he was an assistant manager. The company reportedly started a campaign against Smalls and blamed him for violating Covid-19 safety rules. The Amazon Labor Union had formerly forced an election in October. It could include the entire Staten Island warehouses of the company which eventually withdrew for the lack of signatures.
The upcoming election is specially designed on the JFK8 (borough’s largest fulfillment center). Amazon workers at Chicago centers presented their own walkout in December 2021. It was a part of workers’ pushback wave against severe health conditions at the warehouse.
NLRB forces Amazon to conduct Election
A spokesperson for Amazon, Kelly Nantel said there are a significant number of authorized signatures to help the election petition. The company needs its employees to have their voices heard since the decision from NLRB to conduct the election. A spokesperson for NLRB also confirmed that ALU and Amazon have finalized a deal regarding the election.
The election will take place as Amazon is experiencing another move from a union at its warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. Moreover, NLRB has started the distribution of ballots to the workers at the Bessemer warehouse. The labor department examined that Amazon illegally meddled in last year’s election and considers it as part of a repeat election.
March 28 will mark the Day of Votes Counting
Amazon has also experienced another inherent labor combat on Staten Island. ALU filed a petition earlier this month to conduct an election at the nearest facility, called the LDJ5. However, ALU includes former and current Amazon employees, including Chris Smalls. The new election will start next week with the eligibility to vote for more than 6,200 workers.
More than 6,000 Amazon workers are expected to vote on forming a Union at the warehouse in Staten Island. Amazon employees at the facility efficiently ship items and products for a much bigger New York market. Meanwhile, the election organizers need better medical, longer breaks, other leave options, and increased wages.
On Wednesday, Smalls said the energy and momentum are with us the company, and workers are now more excited. The company is observing this moment but considering it would bring an expected long and hard battle. It is worth important that a petition traditionally filed from a union needs more than 30% of workers to sign paperwork. Nantel said the employees at Amazon already have a choice to join the union.