Posts tagged Amazon
The National Labor Relations Board is trying to silence employer speech
December 5, 2022 // The NLRB recently filed a complaint against Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, claiming a statement he made on CNBC constituted an unfair labor practice. When asked about the ongoing campaign to unionize Amazon, Jassy said: “It’s employees’ choice whether or not they want to join a union. We happen to think they’re better off not doing so, for a couple of reasons at least. You know, first, at a place like Amazon that empowers employees, if they see something they can do better for customers or for themselves, they can go meet in a room, decide how [to] change it — and change it. That type of empowerment doesn’t happen when you have unions. It’s much more bureaucratic, it’s much slower. I also think people are better off having direct connections with their managers.”
The ‘pro-union’ president risks the support of a key constituency to avert a rail strike
December 5, 2022 // Biden faces a backlash from a core of rail workers and allied groups, as some of them see his push for a measure to avoid a strike as a betrayal. He signed the measure, which passed with bipartisan support, at the White House on Friday, giving rail workers a significant raise, but denying them the paid sick leave that had been a sticking point in some of the contract talks. Hours later, he arrived at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston and was met by scores of protesters objecting to his handling of a labor dispute that threatened to halt rail service at the peak of the holiday season.
Judge tells Amazon: Stop retaliating against employees
December 1, 2022 // According to the decision, the NLRB's argument was that failing to rehire the terminated employee would result in a weakening of the ALU's ability to organize. There wasn't any evidence presented to indicate that, the judge said, adding that the employee "was terminated approximately one year before the ALU was formed." Per the judge, that means this case is distinguishable from similar ones in which reinstatement would be justified. JFK8 employees voted to join the ALU in April 2022, not long after the ALU petitioned the NLRB for the right to hold a union election. Another vote to organize a second Staten Island warehouse in May of this year failed to pass, which led the NLRB to file another complaint against Amazon in September alleging unfair treatment of union organizers. The NLRB alleges the treatment may have affected the vote, and the case is still ongoing.
NY POST Opinion: Union Joe suddenly turns into Union-Buster-in-Chief — to save himself
December 1, 2022 // With Americans already facing Bidenflation and a potentially painful recession, a rail strike would utterly slam the nation’s economy — and his legacy. “I am calling on Congress to pass legislation immediately to adopt the Tentative Agreement [reached in September by] railroad workers and operators,” Biden said Monday, insisting no “path to resolve the dispute at the bargaining table” exists. Hmm. Just this year he was backing unionization of Amazon workers, warning, “Amazon, here we come. Watch.” Last year, too, he pushed unionization drives and praised organized labor for winning workers better terms. His proposed Protecting the Right to Organize Act and American Jobs Plan aimed to unionize practically the entire US workforce (by nixing states’ right-to-work laws, for example).
Chris Smalls Taunts Musk, Says ‘Disgruntled’ Employee Wants Help Unionizing
November 30, 2022 // Labor organizer Chris Smalls taunted Elon Musk Monday evening, saying a "disgruntled" Tesla employee reached out to him, seeking help with unionizing. Smalls tweeted an image showing an email he received from an unidentified individual with the subject line: "Organizing activity at Tesla." He captioned the picture with a barb aimed at Musk, the Tesla CEO who has made headlines in recent weeks over his purchase of social media giant Twitter.
Labor secretary takes to Starbucks and Amazon’s hometown paper to point out ‘more worker organizing than many of us have seen in our lifetimes’
November 28, 2022 // U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh reiterated the Biden administration’s support for organized labor with that statement in a Thanksgiving opinion article for the hometown newspaper of two giant companies at the center of union activity: Starbucks Corp. SBUX, +0.04% and Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, -0.76% But Walsh wrote in the Seattle Times that getting to the next step — companies bargaining with unions in a timely manner in order to reach an agreement on a first contract — is key. He noted that federal labor law is “weak” and can allow companies to delay bargaining, which could “drag on for years.”
Op-ed by Marty Walsh: Protecting the Right to Organize Act will help unions win their first contracts
November 28, 2022 // The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act is strongly supported by the Biden-Harris administration. Introduced by Sen. Patty Murray and co-sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell, the act would establish a mediation and arbitration process for reaching a first contract agreement. The PRO Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in March 2021, is awaiting a vote in the Senate.
Amazon warehouse workers plan walkouts, call for strikes on Black Friday
November 25, 2022 // Labor stoppages are being planned for several warehouse locations throughout the country, including Bessemer, Ala.; Columbia, Md.; Detroit, Mich.; Durham, NC; Garner, NC; Joliet, Ill.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Portland, Ore.; and Washington, DC. There is also a planned work stoppage at several Whole Foods store locations. Whole Foods is a subsidiary of Amazon. Amazon employees and labor activists also plan to hold a protest rally in front of a New York City residence owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to CBS News. The labor actions are being organized on social media under the hashtag #MakeAmazonPay.
Amazon air hub workers launch campaign to form union
November 23, 2022 // A group of workers who handle planes and packages at Amazon’s national air hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) are trying to unionize the facility, demanding $30 per hour in starting wages and other benefits. The organizing committee says it is looking to affiliate with one of the national unions trying to organize workers at the giant online retailer, which has a history of aggressively combating efforts to form unions at its fulfillment centers. The disgruntled airport workers are also calling for 180 hours of paid time off, without a cap on accrued time, union representation at disciplinary meetings and more flexible working conditions.
Amazon’s new robot can recognize objects!
November 16, 2022 // The company says it can run operations more efficiently and safely by using robots in its warehouses. Amazon, “Sparrow “By taking on repetitive tasks, it will allow our employees to focus their time and energy on other things, while also increasing safety.” sparrow, It will help us increase efficiency by automating a critical part of our order fulfillment process so we can continue to deliver fast to our customers.” He added that he was able to create more than 700 new job categories using robots.