National Labor Relations Board finds 'merit' with Amazon anti-union complaint
Amazon insists the meetings it held are legal and common practice
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The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has upheld the complaint that Amazon violated labor law in the Staten Island labor vote by holding mandatory worker meetings to dissuade employees from voting to unionize.
"These allegations are false and we look forward to showing that through the process," Kelly Nantel, Amazon Spokesperson told FOX Business.
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A second spokesperson said that the company regularly holds these meetings to make sure employees understand "the facts about joining a union and the election process itself," adding that such meetings have been legal for over 70 years and remain a regular process used by "many other companies."
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But the NLRB saw fit to uphold the complaint from the agency’s general councilor Jennfier Abruzzo that such meetings. The Staten Island warehouse voted to unionize in the first successful organizing effort in Amazon’s history.
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The complaint’s merit stems from accusations from the union that Amazon indicated workers could face termination if they voted to unionize or the company could withhold benefits as punishment.
FILE - 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. Amazon and the nascent group that successfully organized the company’s first-ever U.S. union are headed for a rematch Monday, May 2, 2022, when a federal labor board will tally votes cast by warehouse workers in yet another election on Staten Island.
Amazon Labor Union (ALU) members celebrate after an update during the voting results to unionize Amazon warehouse on Staten Island, N.Y., Friday, April 1, 2022, in Brooklyn borough of New York. If a majority of Amazon workers ultimately votes yes in either Staten Island or Bessemer, Ala., it would mark the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the company’s history.
Amazon JFK8 distribution center union organizer Jason Anthony waves as he speaks to the press about preliminary results regarding the vote to unionize, outside the NLRB offices in Brooklyn, New York City, U.S., April 1, 2022.
Workers stand in line to cast ballots for a union election at Amazon's JFK8 distribution center, in the Staten Island borough of New York City, U.S., March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid./File Photo
The agency’s attorney, Seth Goldstein, hailed the decision as "a big victory," and the agency added it will issue a complaint against Amazon unless the company agrees to a settlement, which would cause a court proceeding and litigation.
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The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a union that ran a separate organizing effort in Alabama, has also filed a complaint over the mandatory meetings.
Several major companies have faced union organizing efforts in recent years, including Starbucks and Apple.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.