Amazon wants to take action against America’s first union formation

Amazon, an American online retailer, wants to take action against the establishment of the first union representation in the group. Amazon asked for more time to present reasonable objections to voting at a warehouse in New York at the end of March, according to official documents filed with the Federal Labor Law Office on Thursday. The company accuses unionists of “threatening” employees before the vote.

Most workers at the Staten Island warehouse voted to join the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) workers’ group. This was a serious setback for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who had successfully prevented the company from establishing union representation among the second largest employers in the United States since its founding in 1994.

Amazon sees unfair practices

However, Amazon accuses ALU of unfair practices. Union representatives sometimes “intimidate” employees and harass them while they are in line. They “threatened immigrants” by saying they would “lose their benefits if they did not vote for the union.”

Eric Milner, a union lawyer, said: “This is absurd. The workers spoke up and their voices were heard.”

“Mandatory Meetings”

He accused the company of spending “millions” on intimidation campaigns. “Amazon held forced meetings, Amazon acted in a threatening manner, and illegally fired workers for trying to regulate Amazon,” he said.

The company has until Friday night to submit its objections and until April 22 to submit its evidence.

Similar allegations

The union RWDSU implemented a referendum on employee representation at a warehouse in the US state of Alabama, meanwhile making similar allegations against the company. He filed several complaints with the Department of Labor against Amazon. The group tried to confuse employees, influencing them through coercion and “fear of revenge”. Amazon has not commented on the allegations against AFP.

In March, there was a postal vote among camp staff in the town of Bessemer. However, the results are still open: 993 workers voted against the union, 875 voted in favor – but there are still 416 “controversial” ballots that will be decided at an official hearing next week. A poll was canceled a year ago after officials found it had violated Amazon rules.