Union Says Illegal Tactics by Amazon were Reason for the Beat Down

Amazon kept its track record in unionization battles almost perfect, with a decisive rejection of a union at a Fulfilment Center in Garner, NC, near Raleigh.

Supply Chain Digest Says... An employee seen as a leader of the facility told employees to “vote no,” saying a union “can get in the way of how we work together.” What do you say? Click here to send us your comments   Click here to see reader feedback

The vote, taken Saturday, came in with 2,447 votes opposing the union and just 829 in favor, according to the National Labor Relations Board, giving the No ballots 74.6% of the total.

There were 77 challenged ballots, a number that’s too small to change the outcome of the election. The results, however, still need to be certified by the NLRB.

In the US, that means there is still only one Amazon FC that has voted to organize. That vote, which occurred in 2022 at an FC in Staten Island, New York, has to date not led to a contract between Amazon and the workers there, as Amazon continues to fight the outcome. The workers at the FC recently voted to join the Teamsters union in hopes the added muscle can get a contract done.

The election at the facility, named RDU1 by Amazon, came based on efforts by the upstart Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE). which campaigned at the FC for the past three years. The facility employs about 4,700 workers.

In reaction to the major defeat, CAUSE said in a statement that the election was a “result of Amazon’s willingness to break the law,” though without detailing its allegations.

According to CNBC, Amazon spokeswoman Eileen Hards denied in a statement that the company broke the law or interfered with the election.

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Amazon responded to the Garner drive to organize with an array of anti-union messages in the FC, on a special website, and sent through its AtoZ app to the workers. An employee seen as a leader of the facility told employees to “vote no,” saying a union “can get in the way of how we work together.”

The company described CAUSE as an “outside party” that’s “claiming to be a union.”

Starting pay at RDU1 is $18.50 an hour. CAUSE has pledged to negotiate wages of $30 an hour.

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