Grassroots labor group takes on Amazon in NYC union fight
ABC News
An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers is trying to unionize a company warehouse in New York City
NEW YORK -- An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers is trying to organize a company warehouse in New York City, a David and Goliath scenario that could lead to the retail giant's first unionized facility in the U.S.
Workers at an Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island will determine whether or not they want to form a union, with the vote count expected to begin as soon as Thursday.
The count for a separate worker organizing effort is also expected to begin as soon as Thursday in Alabama, where the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union faces a tough challenge in a re-do election to unionize Amazon workers in the city of Bessemer. The union said that election had a turnout rate of about 39%, with only 2,375 of the nearly 6,100 eligible workers voting through mail-in ballots. Amazon provides the list of eligible workers to the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees the process.
In New York, the nascent Amazon Labor Union has led the charge in a fierce labor fight, where the nation’s second-largest private employer has made every effort to fend off labor organizers and Chris Smalls, a fired Amazon employee who now leads the fledging group. Smalls was hopeful of victory, but said Thursday that any celebrations would have to wait.
