Following an election held between March 25 through March 30, 2022, workers at Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse voted in favor of being represented by the Amazon Labor Union in a 2,654 — 2,131 vote. The Amazon Labor Union is the first certified union to represent Amazon workers in the country and could not only rally other Amazon workers nationwide, but could encourage workers at other private-sector employers to seek unionization.
For the past 25 years, Amazon has maintained robust efforts to keep its workers from unionizing, but will have to begin negotiating contracts for the NYC Amazon workers, potentially derailing the Company’s ability to unilaterally change workers’ schedules and work requirements at the Staten Island facility.
The NYC Amazon workers join other recent high profile union elections involving employees at REI in New York, at Starbucks in New York and Seattle, and at the New York Times. On April 25, 2022, workers at another Amazon facility in Staten Island will vote on whether to join the Amazon Labor Union.
Workers who believe their employer has retaliated against them for joining, forming, or supporting a union, should seek legal counsel to analyze their potential claims.