NY Amazon warehouse workers vote against union
Voting for the LDJ5 sortation center ran between April 25-29
Amazon workers at a warehouse in the New York City borough of Staten Island voted against unionizing Monday.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 197.12 | -1.26 | -0.64% |
The National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) Brooklyn office confirmed that 618 employees at the LDJ5 sortation center voted against the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), which had been spearheading the effort in New York. Approximately, 380 employees voted for the union.
There was not a sufficient number of challenged ballots that would sway the outcome, according to labor board officials.
"We’re glad that our team at LDJ5 were able to have their voices heard," Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel told FOX Business Monday. "We look forward to continuing to work directly together as we strive to make every day better for our employees."
Meanwhile, the union declared that "the fight has just begun."
AMAZON TO GET HEARING THAT COULD OVERTURN NEW YORK UNION VOTE, LABOR BOARD OFFICIAL SAYS
"Organizing will continue at this facility and beyond," the ALU tweeted.
According to officials, either party has up to five business days of the vote to object to the election. That means objections must be issued by May 9 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
In-person voting at the facility occurred between April 25 and 29 after getting approval from labor board officials to hold a union election in March. The second election came nearly a month after the first warehouse in Amazon's history, also located on Staten Island, voted in favor of unionizing.
Christian Smalls, president of the Amazon Labor Union, speaks at a rally outside an Amazon facility on Staten Island in New York, Sunday, April 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File / AP Newsroom)
Leading the union drive at both New York warehouses is former Amazon employee Christian Smalls who claimed he was fired after organizing a walkout to protest working conditions in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Pasquale Cioffi, one of the lead organizers of the Amazon Labor Union alongside Smalls, told FOX Business on Sunday that the group is fighting for better pay, more vacation time, job security, a safer work environment, and a better relationship between employees and upper management.
AMAZON WORKERS AT STATEN ISLAND FACILITY VOTE IN FAVOR OF UNION, FIRST IN COMPANY'S HISTORY
Until last month's vote at the JFK8 facility, the nation’s second-largest private employer had successfully avoided unions since its founding in 1994.
That doesn't mean the company isn't fighting back on these elections though. The e-commerce giant already filed objections with the labor board over the first election at the JFK8 facility, including alleging that labor organizers intimidated workers to vote for the union, according to Reuters. Labor board officials said those objections could overturn the result, Reuters reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
