(AP) NEW YORK — Tuesday saw a massive rejection of a union proposal by Amazon workers in upstate New York, dealing a second setback to the labour movement that has been trying to force the firm to the negotiation table ever since its historic victory earlier this year.
This time around, warehouse workers near Albany cast 406 votes — or about 66% — against the Amazon Labor Union, giving the company enough support to push back the fledgling group composed of former and current Amazon workers.
The National Labor Relations Board reports that 206 workers, or 33.6%, chose to join the union. 918 employees, according to the agency, were able to cast ballots, and the 31 ballots that Amazon or the union contested were insufficient to change the outcome.
The facility is located in the town of Schodack, near one of the most unionized metro areas in the country, according to Unionstats. com.
It’s a warehouse known as a “non-sort centre,” where workers load larger, bulkier things like rugs, patio furniture, or outdoor gear.
A victory there, according to experts, would have given the union additional negotiating power with Amazon and the opportunity to show that its earlier victory at a Staten Island, New York, plant wasn’t an exception. For now, those hopes seem to be dashed.
This was the third election for a union at an Amazon warehouse this year, and the fourth overall. The team was hurt by a setback at another, lesser facility close by immediately after their unexpected victory in Staten Island in April. A union election in Alabama, led by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union at a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, remains too close to call.
Many people thought that setting up the second Staten Island factory would be more difficult because there were more part-time employees, who might have alternative sources of income and weaker ties to their coworkers. There was less time for the union to persuade workers. And Chris Smalls, the fired Amazon worker who leads the union, and other organizers were also more distracted with media appearances and defending their historic win.
With more than two dozen election-related complaints filed and a request for a new vote, Amazon has been attempting to reverse the ALU’s lone success. A federal labour commissioner came to the conclusion last month that the union ought to be recognised as the warehouse’s bargaining representative. Amazon, which hasn’t recognized the union, said it intends to appeal the decision and CEO Andy Jassy has also signaled the company could take the case to federal court.
ALU organizers have said they were focused on pressuring Amazon to negotiate a contract at the facility that voted to unionize and petitioning for more elections. ALU membership was sought by Amazon employees last week at a different location in California who filed for their own union election.
Amazon employees in upstate New York reject a union proposal.
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