Amazon Workers Lose Another Union Vote as Management Digs In

The Amazon Labor Union lost its latest campaign today at a facility in Schodack, New York. The second loss out of ALU's three unionization campaigns at Amazon warehouses was due to workers voting against joining the union.

The result is a blow to the workers who were trying to get more say at Amazon, which is opposed to unionization.

Chris Smalls, president of the ALU, said in a statement that the union would continue to organize in Schodack. He said the vote was unfair because Amazon workers were subject to intimidation.

In her own statement, Kelly Nantel welcomed the results. She wrote that they were glad that their team in Albany was able to have their voices heard and that they decided to keep the direct relationship with Amazon. The tally of Amazon warehouses attempting to unionize has increased. The ALU won its first election at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, but lost its second election at a smaller warehouse across the street. The result of the re-enactment of the election to represent workers in Alabama is still too close to call.

A week of labor unrest at Amazon preceded the union defeat at the ALB1 warehouse. The workers walked out of two facilities in Georgia and two in Illinois because of their demands. The first ALU election in California was filed by workers in the Inland Empire. The workers at the air shipping hub in San Bernardino went on strike three days later.

The campaign's roots are in the personal history of the lead organizers. She went to work at ALB1 in February in order to find out if the news she had read about Amazon was true. A series of suicides and murder-suicides by employees of GlobalFoundries, which she believes were related to a poor working environment, led to her interest in workplace conditions. The health and safety of employees is a priority for GlobalFoundries.

He concluded that the rumors were true about Amazon. She saw injuries and high turnover. She says there is no excuse for defiance of state law. One time, an ambulance came for her after she had a heart attack while on shift. People stop questioning it when you see it on a daily or weekly basis.