The workers at the Staten Island warehouse voted Friday to form a union. The first-of-its-kind union paves the way for other efforts throughout Amazon, which has fought tooth-and-nail to suffocate unionization efforts. There was a small union spark that could have spread to a company-wide wildfire. According to the National Labor Relations Board vote count, workers at the JFK8 fulfillment center voted in favor of forming a union. More than 400 challenged ballots could swing the outcome in the union's favor, as workers in a warehouse in Alabama voted against forming the union on Thursday. The Staten Island results will be appealed by Amazon. The president of the Amazon Labor Union wrote on his account that they worked had fun and welcomed the first union in America for Amazon. Amazon didn't respond to Gizmodo's request for comment.
The Staten Island vote is a major victory for the U.S. labor movement. Walmart is the largest U.S. employer. One in every 169 U.S. workers is employed there. None of those workers have been unionized. Staten Island has set an important precedent for other warehouses to follow. Amazon has spent a long time trying to eliminate that possibility.
The Staten Island victory was praised by advocates and corporate accountability groups.
Today's vote to unionize is a huge victory for workers at Amazon warehouses and for the entire working class, according to Sarah Miller. Miller predicted a wave of similar campaigns that will sweep the country.
Recent data supports the hope expressed by Miller of similar pro-worker campaigns taking off. A recent poll shows that the majority of Americans support employee rights to collective bargaining.
The pro-union side made a lot of unexpected gains if the vote goes the union's way. The workers at the Alabama warehouse voted against unionizing in a resounding fashion, with 1,798 voting against the union. Workers were granted a re-vote after the National Labor Relations Board concluded the company had violated U.S. labor laws. Only 39% of eligible workers voted this year, down from 45% last year, according to CNBC.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union President said that Amazon did everything it could to spread misinformation during the fight to unionize their workplace. Workers at the Amazon warehouse are represented by RWDSU.
This time around was no exception, as Amazon has a long, absurd record when it comes to union-busting tactics. CNBC reported this week that Amazon used a consulting firm with ties to the Democratic Party to create anti-union materials. The videos and flyers used phrases like "Unpack it: Get the facts about union" and "One team, working together."
We have the receipts to prove it, and that is more of the same for Amazon. According to the US Department of Labor, Amazon paid $4.3 million to anti-union consultants in 2021. According to an analysis from the Economic Policy Institute, few firms ever surpass $1 million in anti-union spending.
Staten Island workers were the target of anti-union efforts. A report in The City cited multiple Staten Island Amazon employees who claimed they were required to sit in mandatory meetings with staff to discourage them from unionizing. The National Labor Relations Board had filed a complaint against Amazon, accusing the company of threatening workers and referring to union organizers as vagrants.
The fight is the spark of the 21st century labor movement and will change how Americans view unions.
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