In April, employees and unionists demonstrate in front of the Amazon building in Staten Island.
Image: AFP/Kena Betancur
In an Amazon sorting center in New York, no majority was found to form a union representative. The attempt to repeat a historical success very close by failed.
In the American state of New York, an attempt to form a second union representative at the shipping giant Amazon has failed. When workers at a Staten Island sorting center voted, 62 percent voted against representation by the Amazon Labor Union, according to figures released Monday. Accordingly, 618 employees voted against union representation and only 380 in favor. Participation was 61 percent.
Just a few weeks ago, workers at a nearby Amazon warehouse voted to establish Amazon’s first union in the United States. At the JFK8 camp in Staten Island, 55 percent of workers voted to be represented by the Amazon Labor Union. However, hopes of the workers’ organization to repeat this success in the LDJ5 sorting center opposite have now been dashed.
For years, Amazon has opposed the formation of unions. The online mail order giant has been criticized in the US for its working conditions. Trade unions and politicians criticize that the employees of the group, which was founded in 1994, are exposed to high work pressure and constant monitoring.
In Germany, the Verdi union has been fighting for years to ensure that Amazon employees get a collective agreement and are paid according to the tariff for retail and mail order.