Second Union Formation at US Amazon Warehouse Thwarted... Union Expansion Temporarily Halted

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Workers at Amazon's Albany warehouse, the world's largest e-commerce company, voted against unionization, resulting in the failure to establish the company's second logistics warehouse union.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press (AP), the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced on the 18th (local time) that the unionization vote held at Amazon's ALB1 warehouse in the town of Schodack, southeast of Albany, New York, was rejected with 406 votes against and 206 votes in favor.

After the vote results were announced, Amazon issued a statement saying, "We are pleased that our team in Albany can have their voices heard," adding, "We believe this is the best choice for both our employees and customers, and we will continue to work directly with the team members in Albany."

On the other hand, Chris Smalls, chairman of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), emphasized, "Workers faced daily threats, retaliation, and dismissal threats, and the voting process was neither free nor fair," adding, "This defeat does not mark the end of plans to establish a union at the Albany warehouse."

This vote has been regarded as a turning point that will determine the direction and expansion of influence of the Amazon union.

Previously, in April, the Amazon union succeeded in establishing a union for the first time in the company's history at the JFK8 logistics warehouse in Staten Island. However, the second unionization vote held at another warehouse in Staten Island was rejected with 62% of employees voting against it. The third election held in Bessemer, Alabama, is still pending results due to legal disputes with the company.

The AP reported, "Experts expected that the Amazon union would gain more influence in negotiations with the company regarding union establishment and prove that the first unionization was not a one-time victory," but "for now, the union's hopes have been dashed."

The union claims that Amazon interfered with the election by threatening dismissal to employees assigned to monitor the election. It is also reported that Amazon invested heavily in union opposition by hiring consultants to distribute leaflets urging employees to reject the vote.

Currently, Amazon is reported to have filed 24 objections to the election and is demanding a re-vote to overturn the results of the Amazon Labor Union's unionization vote. The Guardian reported that Amazon has expressed its intention to appeal to the federal court against the National Labor Relations Board's ruling that recognized the Amazon Labor Union as the bargaining representative union for the warehouse union.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.