Amazon is arguing that the improper actions perpetrated by the NLRB regional office and the Amazon Labor Union in the Staten Island election warrant 'at least the same result.' In Bessemer, workers voted more than 2 to 1 against joining the union.

Last year, the NLRB invalidated the results of the union election and ordered a do-over election at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, after finding that Amazon had improperly interfered by installing a mailbox near the facility. The outcome of this hearing could well determine where the labor movement at Amazon goes from here - how much momentum it can maintain as it seeks to organize workers at other warehouses across the country.

The Staten Island warehouse known as JFK8 is the first and only Amazon facility in the U.S. The future of an 8,000-member union is at stakeĪmid the distractions, it's important to remember that at stake is the future of a union that stands to gain more than 8,000 members. The NLRB denied Amazon's request, citing the importance of public access to a case that has garnered national and international attention.ĪFP via Getty Images Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls waits as workers cast their votes over whether or not to unionize in an election held outside an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island on March 25, 2022. Amazon also warned there would be no way to stop unauthorized recording and sharing of the proceedings. Amazon's lawyers, who are participating from a hotel conference room on Staten Island, argued that there was no way to police who was watching the proceedings, including potential witnesses who should not have access to other witnesses' testimony. NLRB hearings, normally held in-person, have been conducted online since the early in the pandemic. Prior to the start of the hearing on June 13, Amazon sought to close the proceedings to the public. Following the tally of ballots on April 1, Amazon filed 25 objections to the election, including charges that the regional office of the NLRB overseeing the election favored the union, and that union leaders bribed workers with marijuana and threatened and harassed those who did not support the union.

The virtual hearing is taking place four months after the election in which warehouse workers voted 2,654 to 2,131 to join the Amazon Labor Union. Lisa Dunn, the NLRB attorney presiding over the hearing from her home in Phoenix, has handled the stream of technical and other issues with calm and patience, allowing herself the occasional exasperated chuckle after yet another problem is dispensed with.Īmazon had sought to close the hearing to the public On Tuesday, a lawyer representing Amazon stopped witness testimony to report a breach, leading to yet another delay as parties investigated. While the NLRB has made abundantly clear that any kind of recording, live-streaming or photos of the Zoom hearing are strictly prohibited, screenshots of the hearing have popped up on Twitter. There have also been more serious issues. Members of other unions are joining the hearing in a show of supportĭuring the lunch break, members of other unions took advantage of the lull in the proceedings to shout out support for their comrades at Amazon, with cries of 'Teamsters in the house!' 'UAW in the house!' 'When we fight, we win!' briefly taking over the Zoom call. Turn off your video, mute yourself, and do not use emojis or any other distractions.' That led to repeated warnings delivered by the bailiff via the chat box, asking participants to 'please provide just your first and last name to be admitted.

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