US labor board sues Amazon to reinstate fired Staten Island worker

The National Labor Relations Board has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, seeking the return of an employee it believes was retaliated against. In the early days of the Pandemic, Gerald Bryson was fired from his job at the e-commerce giant after he helped lead protests over safety concerns.

The case of an unfair labor practice suit that was fired by Bryson was stuck in the administrative court process. According to The New York Times, the National Labor Relations Board is asking a federal judge to make immediate changes before the facility holds a union election by the end of March.

Amazon said that he was fired for violating its policy against harassing language. In a confrontation during the protest, the company said that Bryson bullied and intimidated a female associate in a racially and sexually charged way. A recent filing by the National Labor Relations Board shows that a video recording shows that the female employee used foul language and a racial slur against the man. The black man who helped lead the protest was fired, while the white woman who told him to stop protested and got a warning.

He was accused of being retaliated against by Amazon for his role in the protest. The board argued that if the judge doesn't restore Bryson, workers will conclude that the board can't effectively protect their rights.

"No matter how large the employer, it is important for workers to know their rights — particularly during a union election — and that the N.L.R.B. will vociferously defend them."

Between March 25th and March 30th, the JFK8 facility will hold a union vote. It has been a long journey to get there, with the Amazon Labor Union failing to gather enough signatures for an election the first time around. Although Amazon was skeptical that there were enough valid signatures, the election will take place as the National Labor Relations Board decided.

The National Labor Relations Board wants Amazon to post notices of workers' rights at the facility and to read those rights out loud at mandatory employee meetings.