The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled on Wednesday that Amazon must negotiate with a labor union representing some 5,000 workers at a company warehouse on Staten Island.
This ruling implies the company has to meet with representatives of the Amazon Labor Union, which formed in 2022 and has been seeking to negotiate with Amazon over pay, working conditions and other matters.
The union had initially formed independently, but it later aligned itself with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The NLRB said in its ruling that Amazon “has engaged in unfair labor practices” by refusing to bargain with the labor group or to recognize its legitimacy.
The board refuted Amazon’s claim that the Amazon Labor Union was not the exclusive representative of employees at the facility, and that it was not obligated to engage in bargaining. It said in a Thursday ruling that the company’s refusal to bargain violated the National Labor Relations Act.
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The NLRB also ordered Amazon to post a notice at the facility stating that employees have the right to join the union and that it would engage in bargaining. Amazon said the NLRB wrongly certified the union election in March 2022, which it said was improperly influenced by both NLRB and ALU representatives.
Amazon has long resisted organized labor, saying workers are best served by negotiating directly with the company.
“Representatives of the NLRB improperly influenced this election,” the company said in a statement, suggesting it planned to appeal. “We’re confident an unbiased court will overturn the original certification, and we look forward to the opportunity for our team to fairly voice their opinions.” An appeal would most likely preclude Amazon from having to comply with the NLRB’s order while it makes its way through the courts.
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Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said Thursday that “this decision is just part of the process of challenging the underlying certification, we’re confident an unbiased court will overturn the original certification, and we look forward to the opportunity for our team to fairly voice their opinions.”
The Teamsters called the NLRB ruling a “historic victory for Amazon Teamsters nationwide and a testament to worker power.”
“Amazon’s strategy these last few years has been to delay, delay, delay — and the NLRB confirmed it because the law is not on their side,” Randy Korgan, who directs the Amazon division of the Teamsters, said on Thursday.