The Fast Pace Of Union Organizing At Amazon

Labor Notes is reporting that

Six hundred of our Amazon co-workers at five warehouses around New York signed a petition demanding starting wages of $25 an hour, time-and-a-half pay for Prime Day (July 16-17), seasonal workers converted to permanent status within 30 days of employment, and Juneteenth as a paid holiday.

The June 19 holiday celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S. and became a federal holiday in 2021—the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was recognized in 1983.

We organized petitions across five warehouses: sort center LDJ5 on Staten Island, where packages are routed to local facilities; the massive fulfillment centers JFK8 on Staten Island and SWF1 in the Hudson Valley, where customer orders are packed; and delivery stations DBK4 and DNJ3 in Queens and the Bronx, where packages are put into delivery vehicles and dispatched to mailboxes or doorsteps.

At the smaller delivery stations with only a couple hundred employees, nearly half the workers signed. And at four of the five warehouses, groups of workers have delivered the petition to Amazon management. (See a video montage of the petition deliveries.)

Read the entire article here.

Photo from Labor Notes

Labor Notes is also reporting on the strike at the Amazon facility in Skokie, Illinois being led by members of Teamsters Local 705. The opening paragraphs of that report say:

Amazon drivers at the DIL7 delivery station in Skokie, Illinois, struck June 26 over the company’s violations of federal labor laws.

A hundred drivers have organized with Teamsters Local 705 and are demanding that Amazon recognize and bargain with their union, after presenting cards signed by a majority of the workforce.

They’re nominally employed by a contractor, Four Star Express Delivery. But “every Amazon driver knows who our true employer is,” said driver Luke Cianciotto in a union statement. “We wear their uniforms and drive their trucks.”

Four Star Express is one of 2,500 “delivery service partners” that carry out package deliveries while Amazon retains full control. Amazon terminated the DSP’s contract on June 25, after giving workers two weeks’ notice.

The Teamsters allege this termination was illegal retaliation against the workers, who had already reached a majority on union cards. The workers marched on management June 20 to demand recognition.

Last year Amazon terminated the contract of another DSP, Battle-Tested Strategies in Palmdale, California, after 84 drivers organized with the Teamsters. BTS voluntarily recognized the union and agreed to a contract that would hike wages to $30 an hour, compared to the $19.75 drivers were earning before.

Since then, Amazon Teamsters have extended picket lines to 30 Amazon warehouses around the country and filed multiple unfair labor practice charges, which are still pending.

“Amazon wants to have it both ways: total operational control but no employment responsibility,” employment scholar David Weil told Labor Notes last year. “Can they benefit from a contractor that operates as an extension of Amazon but not be held responsible?”

Read the article here.

Photo from Teamsters Local 705

A report on the strike from Local 705 carries the following quotes from striking workers:

“Every Amazon driver knows who our true employer is,” said Luke Cianciotto, one of the striking Amazon drivers. “We wear their uniforms and drive their trucks. They decide whether we can be hired or fired. We make them their profits and we organized a union with the Teamsters for our fair share.”

and

“I work for one of the richest men in the world and I’ve had to skip meals to make sure my child eats and my bills are paid,” said Ebony Echevarria, a striking Amazon driver. “That’s just not right. My co-workers and I are fighting for respect, decent pay, and safe working conditions for us and for all Amazon workers.”

Photo from Labor Notes

Labor Notes also covered the recent merger between the Amazon Labor Union and the Teamsters. That article said:

Amazon Labor Union members voted June 17 to affiliate with the Teamsters.

Workers cast 878 ballots at JFK8 Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island, N.Y. The tally broke down to 829 votes in favor of the affiliation and 14 against it; 10 ballots were spoiled.

Total turnout was 11 percent out of 8,000 workers. However, workers estimate the workforce has dipped to between 5,000 and 6,000 workers during the off-peak season.

A Teamsters statement said the union will now “represent the roughly 5,500 Amazon warehouse workers.” Turnout works out to 16 percent based on that number.

“On behalf of the Amazon Labor Union, I’m proud of our members choosing a path to victory. We're now stronger than ever before," said ALU President Chris Smalls in a statement.

"Having the support of 1.3 million Teamsters to take on Amazon gives us tremendous worker power and the opportunities to demand better conditions for our members and, most importantly, to secure a contract at JFK8.”

The affiliation agreement charters a new local known as Amazon Labor Union No. 1, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (ALU-IBT Local 1), for the five boroughs of New York City. That may signal that Amazon workers will not be integrated into existing locals with other Teamster crafts.

“Together, with hard work, courage, and conviction, the Teamsters and ALU will fight fearlessly to ensure Amazon workers secure the good jobs and safe working conditions they deserve in a union contract,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement.

The ALU is the fledgling independent union that sent shock waves through the labor movement two years ago when it won a landmark election to organize 8,000 workers at Amazon fulfillment center JFK8 on Staten Island.

The entire article may be read here.

The Valley Labor Report ran a critical segment on the ALU-Teamster merger four weeks ago. 

The Hill carried this report:

 

Do You Have a Story About Amazon's Safety Issues?

 

As Amazon’s 30th Anniversary approaches on July 15th, current and former workers are coming together to share their stories of being overworked and injured at Amazon on the open-source website, ExposeAmazon.org. Over 50 workers have added their story to this campaign and it is growing every day!

While Amazon touts itself as “Earth’s Best (and Safest) Employer," thousands of workers are seriously injured and left in medical debt every year.

Do you have a story? Submit your story anonymously or publicly at this link. Your story joins many other workers speaking out to share what's happening in the warehouses every day! Across the JWJ Network, injured workers will be speaking out in NYC in their first public event. Follow along here!

Taken from Jobs with Justice. 

Congratulations to Wells-Fargo workers in Daytona Beach who just went union! What about Salem-Keizer?

REI workers are organizing for union representation nationally. We have REI.

Starbucks workers are organizing nationally. We have lots of Starbucks stores.

Healthcare professionals are organizing across Oregon. Salem Hospital is non-union.

Wells Fargo workers are organizing around the United States. We have Wels Fargo banks and a large Wells Fargo center.

Amazon workers are organizing nationally. We have an Amazon facility.

There are plenty of union organizing opportunities in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties. If you are interested in forming a union, contact the Oregon AFL-CIO. If you work for one of the employers mentioned above, hit the link to connect with the union that is active in your sector. 

Top Cut:
Bankers and tellers at a Wells Fargo branch in Daytona Beach, Florida, voted last week to join the Communications Workers of America’s (CWA’s) Wells Fargo Workers United. This is the second-ever successful election at the megabank.

Why It Matters:
Momentum around organizing Wells Fargo branches is building quickly across the country. Just weeks ago staff at a branch in Albuquerque, New Mexico, became the first to win a union election, and workers in Wilmington, Delaware, filed for a union election soon after. Despite Wells Fargo’s anti-union attacks, these workers are fighting to secure a meaningful voice on the job to improve conditions for themselves and their customers.

Note: the reference to The Onion in the graphic above refers to on-going union activism at The Onion, a satirical and often hilarious on-line publication. This is almost new territory for union organizing. And despite what looks like glum numbers above, note that worker activism at Wells Fargo has won over $205 million for workers in just a short period. If you set out to organize a union in Marion, Polk or Yamhill counties you will have support.

The graphic, photo and news story come from the AFL-CIO Daily Brief.

Outlaw Santa by Jennifer Thomas

This post was written by Jennifer Thomas and comes from Liberation Road.

Outlaw Santa by Jennifer Thomas

It was only a matter of time before the North Pole became an Amazon fulfillment center. The Elves had been transformed from whimsical joy-filled creatures into sleep-deprived back-sprained peeing-in-bottles warehouse workers, with gunmetal AI-run robots as their overseers. For the last few Christmases, Santa’s reindeer-powered sleigh had been replaced by a fleet of driverless flying trucks sporting menacing smiley logos.

Mrs. Claus had been railing for a decade about a possible hostile takeover of their sprawling gift-giving operation. She had seen it coming. “Wake up, Santa,” she would say. “We might be in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, but we’re not immune to rapacious global economic trends.”

At first Santa, ever the optimist, had just rolled his eyes at her diatribes—something their marriage counselor had advised him never to do—and returned to whittling and playing with the reindeer. But over time, he became radicalized as he saw the results of a wildly successful business model based on overconsumption and exploitation. He wrote gentle admonishments to children who had begun sending demand letters instead of wish lists. He signed petitions to stop the avalanche of plastic junk destined for the oceans. He even tried to stand up for the Elves, notifying OSHA and the Department of Labor about the working conditions.

But it was too little, too late. The company’s tentacles had already slithered into Toyland and squeezed it in a death grip, just as it had infested every nook and cranny of the economy down below. So much so that any protest, any action, any criticism of the company that could jeopardize the convenience of the shopper was deemed a threat to national security, and therefore illegal.

The twinkle in Santa’s eye faded and vanished; heartsick, he retreated to the deserted workshop. Mrs. Claus, though, was no slouch. Being somewhat diminutive with pointy ears, she knew she could pass for an Elf. In October she got hired at the warehouse, driving a fork truck after a two-hour “crash” course in its operation. The pace was brutal, but she managed to make friends all over the facility. “This place has made you forget your magic powers,” she told them. “At the very least, you’ve got strength in numbers. Besides, you’re bound to win because you’re on the moral high ground—having delighted children with your craftsmanship, among other things, for centuries, you know a thing or two about what fulfillment actually is.”

Mrs. Claus and her new comrades hatched a plot to carry out on Christmas Eve. They passed messages around hidden in their Elf hats, and conducted clandestine meetings in Elfish (a charming, mellifluous language Mrs. Claus had learned over the years). In late December it was all coming together. There was one seeming obstacle—Santa would have to participate for the plan to work. He was busy moping over at the Claus residence. How could they get him out of his funk and into action?

“I think I know,” said Mrs. Claus. After her shift ended, she went to talk to the reindeer. They were even more pissed off than the Elves, since they were out of a job completely now. The Elves used to take care of them throughout the year, brushing their coats and mucking out their stalls. The barn was now in complete disarray; Santa fed them their moss and shrubs but otherwise he was useless.

Mrs. Claus approached Blitzen, who didn’t have a very shiny nose but was the actual reindeer leader, and one of the only creatures Santa really trusted. She described the plan for Christmas Eve. Blitzen made a few tactical suggestions but was immediately on board. When Santa came out to the barn, they sat him down and explained what was to happen. His beard twitched in reluctance to get involved. But he shook when he laughed as the beauty of the plan finally dawned on him. He dragged the sleigh out of a corner of the barn and got to work polishing it up.

Christmas Eve came, as it always did. Out of the warehouse streamed the Elves, led by Mrs. Claus on her fork truck. The robot overlords beeped and flashed frantically, but to no effect. Dispensing with the trucks was the first order of business. First the Elves salvaged all the toys on them that weren’t complete pieces of junk. A few of the more tech-savvy Elves then set the GPS on each one to the East Siberian Sea, to which the trucks promptly took off and then plunged. The Elves planned to retrieve the wreckage later. Then Santa and the reindeer pulled up to the building in the sleigh, loaded with hand-made toys the Elves had hidden away in the workshop years before, on the advice of the prescient Mrs. Claus.

The Elves then handed Santa a package, tied up with ribbons and festooned with candy canes. “This is a proposition to deliver to our fellow warehouse workers at every single Amazon fulfillment center in the world, near and far,” they told him. “We are reminding them that, though they may not be Elves, they too have magic powers–but they have to get together and use them.” And Santa prepared to dispense his own messages throughout the world that would change Christmas forever. “You better watch out,” yelled Santa as he sailed into the air. “You can’t have infinite growth on a finite planet! And remember, today’s outlaw is tomorrow’s hero!”

Mrs. Claus blew him a kiss as she watched him fly away.

Solidarity & News From Unions And Friends

 

The photo above comes from the National Union of Healthcare Workers website. These are some of the California hospice workers who are coming into the union in large numbers there. Read about them here.

Marion-Polk-Yamhill Solidarity & Fun: Our Labor Chapter will be participating in the Salem parade this coming Friday evening, December 1st, and you and your friends and family are invited to participate. Please bring your union gear. We are going to meet near the intersection of State and Court streets in Salem at around 5:45 PM. We will be giving out some toys, distributing some treats, waving at the crowd and having a good time. I think that the route is a bit less than one mile, but don't hold me to that. Good times!

Second, our annual holiday party will be held on Saturday, December 9, starting at 9:00 AM and going to noon. We will be at the Ken Allen AFSCME union hall located at 1400 Tandem Ave., NE in Salem. There will be great music, activities for kids, Caesar The No Drama Llama, storytelling, gift bags, and snacks. There will also be a table for folks who want to organize a union or join a union associate membership program. The holiday party will be more fun.

SEIU Local 503, OPEU higher ed workers at WOU and PSU: At our last Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter meeting we heard a report from a union activist at WOU. Negotiations for a new union contract in our state's higher ed system are not going well. We supported a call to rally in support of the union at WOU at noon on Friday, December 15. If you can attend, please do so. The union has since posted a November 17 update on negotiations here.

Portland Jobs with Justice reports this from Portland State University:

Classified workers have started contract negotiations with administration at the seven Oregon public universities. These workers keep students fed, facilities and infrastructure cleaned and maintained, and so much more. Like so many other workers, classified staff are barely keeping up, choosing which bills to pay, and watching the value of their paychecks erode while the new PSU president is paid more than half-a-million dollars per year (plus a $96,000 yearly housing allowance). Community members and other allies are encouraged to join SEIU 503 workers for a rally to demand a fair contract for the people who make PSU work.

Where: PSU Urban Plaza, 1819 SW 5th Ave., Portland, OR 97201
When: Friday, December 1st, 12-1 pm

Photo taken from a PBS 2021 story about the Teamsters

 at Amazon.

Amazon's legal troubles continue. Read about one fight in Washington State here and one in Canada here. Meanwhile, workers at Starbucks continue to organize despite great pressure from the company. See this story. 

Starbucks Workers United

Doctors are organizing. Jacobin magazine has a great article on doctors in Minnesota and Wisconsin who are organizing a union of physicians. Another effort is underway in Oregon, California and Washington State with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.

Are you TRAPped? Are you one of the hundreds of thousands of "bank workers, salespeople, dog groomers, police officers, aestheticians, firefighters, mechanics, nurses, federal employees, electricians, roofers, social workers, paramedics, truckers, mortgage brokers, teachers and metal polishers" and others working under a "stay or pay" contract clause, often also known as a training-repayment-agreement provision (TRAP), that charges you if you leave your job? The Sunday New York Times Magazine of November 26, 2023 carried a long article by Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein on these oppressive agreements and that's where the incomplete list of occupations where workers are TRAPped comes from. It's possible that as many as one-third of U.S. workers work under such agreements and are forced to either work on jobs where they face burnout, poor safety conditions, harassment and low pay or pay employers and collection agencies what can amount to large penalty payments if they leave their jobs. This is what happens when unions lose power. Towards Justice may be able to help if you're a victim of TRAPping.  

Union holiday shopping: If you are doing holiday shopping, check out Union Plus before you get deep into spending money. It really will save you money. If you or the people you're shopping for are readers, the University of Illinois Press is having a holiday sale. They publish some of the best labor history books in the United States. International Publishers is also having a holiday sale and they have some great labor offerings. I recommend reading William Z. Foster's American Trade Unionism. Use coupon code IP@100 when you check out.