Amazon to fight union’s win in NY labor election

Amazon told a federal agency it will file “substantial” objections to last week’s worker election in New York that established the company’s first union in the United States, according to a filing released Thursday.

In a letter to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the retail giant requested more time to compile and present evidence about alleged problematic election conduct on the part of the union and the board’s officials.

“This election involves more than 8,300 eligible voters, and voting spanned over 50 polling hours,” Amazon attorneys with the firm Hunton Andrews Kurth said in a motion to the NLRB.

“It is simply infeasible for Amazon to sufficiently investigate the myriad of objectionable conduct within five business days.”

The NLRB granted Amazon until April 22 to present proof, but the company still must file its objections by Friday night, an official said.

On April 1, more than 55 percent of the votes at the Staten Island, New York JFK8 warehouse sided with Amazon Labor Union (ALU), handing the bootstrap labor organization a surprise victory that has cheered the American labor movement and drew kudos from President Joe Biden.

The filing accuses union backers of intimidating workers, and said the NLRB administration of the vote led to “inordinately” long wait times that depressed turnout.

But the document did not provide evidence of these allegations, saying the company needed more time “to further compile, review and outline evidence” to support the claims.

Eric Milner, an attorney representing ALU, dismissed as “absurd” Amazon’s complaints.

“The employees have spoken and their voices have been heard,” Milner told AFP.

“Amazon is choosing to ignore that, and instead engage in stalling tactics to avoid the inevitable; coming to the bargaining table and negotiating for a contract on behalf of the fulfillment center associates at JFK8.”

© 2022 AFP