Amazon warehouse workers in a New York area successfully petitioned for a union election by collecting the required 30% of eligible members' signatures.
Another Worker's Union in New York is Making Progress Against Amazon
Amazon warehouse workers in a village southeast of Albany, New York, want a union election. The ALB1 warehouse hopes to join the Amazon Labor Union, which successfully organized the JFK8 facility in Staten Island earlier this year. As cited in Engadget, an NLRB representative told CNBC that the Buffalo office is verifying if the group has enough signatures for an election.
Unions need 30% of eligible members' signatures to vote. The ALU announced it passed the criteria for the Albany warehouse, per The Washington Post. Union activists have worked for months to join the ALU.
After seeing their initiatives, Amazon funded talks about discouraging unionization. A coworker sent us images of anti-union digital TVs in Albany. Customers were warned not to sign an ALU "card" authorizing the warehouse to conduct a vote.
The ALU has demanded more wages and safer warehousing conditions and accused the firm of retribution. Amazon dismissed two organizers after winning on Staten Island. Their fellow organizers thought it was retaliation.
Heather Goodall, an ALB1 activist, said workers' significant concerns are wages and safety. There is also no job security, and a 15-minute break is useless. Additionally, workers have to seek bathroom access.
Amazon has traditionally opposed unionization. A spokesperson said that a firm doesn't think unions are ideal for their employees. It added that its primary focus is making Amazon a terrific place to work alongside its team.
The corporation also appealed to ALU's Staten Island victory, accusing activists of forcing workers to unionize. This month could bring Amazon's appeal hearing.
Amazon Warehouse Safety Probes Expand to More Areas
The workplace safety risks at Amazon are becoming more of a priority for federal authorities.
According to a document by CNBC, investigators from the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration visited Amazon locations close to Albany, New York, Denver, and Boise, Idaho, on Monday.
The inspections are a part of an ongoing investigation by OSHA and the Southern District of New York, US. Attorney's Office started last month. OSHA representatives visited three more Amazon facilities in mid-July due to referrals from SDNY prosecutors in New York, Chicago, and Orlando.
The US Attorney's Office says the civil division is looking into potential workplace safety risks at Amazon warehouses around the country and any possibility of fraud to conceal injuries from OSHA and other agencies.
A recent document states that OSHA inspectors have reportedly concentrated on Amazon's Power Industrial Truck (PIT) operations and ergonomics program. PIT roles entail utilizing forklifts or other tools to carry heavy items across the warehouse or reach things on high shelves.
According to a representative of the Department of Labor, OSHA has started looking into Amazon sites in Colorado, Idaho, and New York. The representative stated the inquiries, which are still active investigations, are based on allegations of safety and health violations at many Amazon stores but would not elaborate more.
Amazon expects to cooperate with OSHA throughout its inquiry, according to a statement from company spokeswoman Kelly Nantel, which was sent to CNBC. However, it has refuted claims of harmful labor conditions and denied using such quotas at its facilities.
OSHA investigators have visited Amazon facilities numerous times to perform workplace inspections owing to hazardous working conditions, including a fatal warehouse collapse and concerns about the coronavirus.
