Amazon union drive suffers another big defeat

Amazon.com workers rejected organising a New York-state warehouse by a nearly two-to-one margin on Tuesday, handing another defeat to the fledgling labour union that had aimed to build momentum in its cross-country campaign.

At ALB1, the retailer’s fulfilment centre in Castleton-on-Hudson near the state’s capital Albany, employees voted 406 to 206 against joining the Amazon Labor Union in the company’s fourth such contest of the year. Turnout was more than 64%.

Led by former Amazon employee Christian Smalls, the ALU this spring had delivered a first-ever victory for labour groups seeking to unionise Amazon in the US, winning a vote in New York City at one of the retailer’s largest warehouses in the country.

An array of challenges since have shown that organising America’s second-biggest private employer after Walmart remains elusive. Unions for years have aimed to stem labour practices pioneered by Amazon that they find deleterious, like extensive vetting of workers’ productivity.

With Tuesday’s loss, Amazon workers have rejected forming unions three times this year, including at a second New York City facility and another in Alabama. The ALU cannot collectively bargain where it won this spring in the borough of Staten Island, either: a US labour board director is reviewing objections to that contest by Amazon before certifying the result.

The Alabama election is not yet certified, either.

ALU representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Earlier on Tuesday, Smalls wrote on Twitter: “Regardless of today’s results taking on a trillion-dollar company can never be a loss for workers. We will continue to empower all workers to give them the right to unionise.”

Economy

Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, said, “We’re glad that our team in Albany was able to have their voices heard, and that they chose to keep the direct relationship with Amazon as we think that this is the best arrangement for both our employees and customers.”

The pro-labour administration of US President Joe Biden and organising wins at Starbucks have leant to recent union efforts; this month alone, the ALU petitioned to hold a vote in an Amazon warehouse in southern California.

But the online retailer has long discouraged unionisation. In the past year Amazon disparaged unions in bathroom signage and at workshops it required thousands of employees to attend.

It recently raised its US average starting pay for front-line staff as well, to more than $19 per hour from more than $18, which represented the May 2021 median in the warehousing and storage sector. The economy has faltered this year, potentially influencing workers’ votes.

Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said, “If workers feel they are fairly paid, they are less likely to unionise.”

Reuters