Grassroots labor groups have filed to unionize another Amazon warehouse, this time in upstate New York.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was behind the ongoing unionization of a Staten Island Amazon facility in April. Workers there voted 55% in favor of unionizing, a first under the giant hand of Amazon.
At the new warehouse, which is in Schodack, New York, a petition has been filed to hold a union election. The petition has to have gotten signatures from 30% of eligible voters in the facility, and seems to have done so with 400 out of approximately 1000 workers signing. Now that it’s been filed, Amazon has the right to audit each and every signature to make sure it comes from an eligible employee.
If the audit comes through, the NLRB will then choose dates and times for an election in the nascent Amazon Labor Union.
Heather Goodall, a former insurance agent who joined Amazon earlier this year to evaluate working conditions, is leading the organizing effort for Schodack. She and a group of other workers launched the petition this May. They spoke to several larger unions, like the Teamsters and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, but choose to go with a smaller grassroots labor effort, aligning with the ACLU in Staten Island, because they believe the culture at Amazon is unique compared to other retailers.
“It seemed to make sense that we work directly with them, and continue to build the Amazon Labor Union nationally,” Goodall said.
Amazon isn’t taking union efforts laying down. They have filed more than two dozen objections against the unionization of the Staten Island warehouse in court. Schodack organizers say that Amazon has begun holding meetings with warehouse workers there to discourage unionizing.
“As a company, we don’t think unions are the best answer for our employees,” says Paul Flanigan, an Amazon spokesperson. “Our focus remains on working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work.”
Workplace horror stories from Amazon warehouses are a monthly occurrence, fueling the union fire.
Photo: Mike Mareen / Shutterstock
