Coalition Elections Set at Amazon’s Staten Island Warehouse

Amazon and a fledgling union of workers at its Staten Island warehouse have agreed to the terms of an election in late March, setting the stage for two major elections at Amazon warehouses at the same time. at the time.

According to Christian Smalls, a former Amazon employee on Staten Island who is leading the organizing effort there, the Staten Island warehouse election will be held in person from March 25-30. tweeted Screenshot of a text message Amazon sent to workers at the facility on Wednesday with the same date. The message also urged workers to “vote NO”.

The timing of the vote coincided with an election at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham.

Mail-in ballots for that election – an outcome after the National Labor Relations Board voted earlier for what it deemed inappropriate Amazon interference – went out for workers and will expire by March 25. The labor agency has said it will begin tallying those ballots on March 28, a process that could take several days.

The agency determined in late January that the new Staten Island union, known as the Amazon Labor Union, had gathered enough signatures to show there was a sufficient interest in holding an election. Amazon and the union reached an agreement on the logistics of the vote shortly before a hearing began Wednesday morning.

The agency confirmed that a tentative agreement had been reached but did not provide details.

“It’s up to the worker,” Mr. Smalls said. “We are motivated. I have seen a very positive change since we applied, and we just hope that we can continue that.”

Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokeswoman, said the company still doubts that there are enough “legitimate signatures” to support the election petition. She added that once the agency determines a possible election, “we want our employees to have their voices heard as soon as possible.”

“Our employees always have the choice of whether or not to join a union,” she added, “and our focus remains on working directly with our team to make Amazon a great place to be.” great to work with.”