Amazon workers in Staten Island said to refile the union petition. The Amazon warehouse workers in Staten Island, New York, have been said to have refiled a union petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), NLRB press secretary Kayla Blado, this was confirmed to The Verge.
Workers were also said to stage a “lunchtime walkout” in an attempt to get Amazon to recognize the union, according to a report from CNBC.
Amazon Workers in Staten Island Said to Refile Union Petition
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU) has been busy organizing a union at four of the Staten Island warehouse locations. It firstly filed for a union election on the 25th of October and collected more than 2,000 employee signatures in support.
However, as reported by Bloomberg, it later withdrew its petition after being determined that the group needed more signatures. US law dictates that union organizers need the support of about 30 percent of workers the four warehouses employ around 5,500 workers in total, as noted by Bloomberg.
The New York Times also reports that organizers are focusing on a single warehouse this time, JFK8, to try and get support from enough people who are still employed despite their high turnover.
ALU Had Finished Filing the Petition
Blado told The Verge that the ALU had just rounded up the process of filing the petition. Now, the NLRB will have to review the showing of interest to see if the group has collected enough signatures that represent the current employees to kickstart the union election.
In addition to re-filing of the petition, the walkout today was “in protest of the unfair labor practices that are committed by Amazon,” which the group claims include “illegal interference in union organizing activities.”
The ALU is also asking for the return of hazard pay and limitless unpaid time off in light of increasing COVID-19 cases.
Ex-Amazon Employee Christian Smalls Leads the ALU
An ex-amazon employee Christian Smalls leads the ALU and was said to be fired from the company after staging a walkout in protest of unsafe working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Should in case the NLRB gives the ALU’s petition a green light, it could lead to the second union drive for Amazon workers in 2021.
In April, Amazon employees in Bessemer, Alabama, voted against unionizing, but the NLRB has since given the order for a second election, as it decided there may have been some interference from Amazon during the initial vote.
“Our focus remains listening directly to our employees and continuously improving on their behalf,” said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel.
