May 1 (Reuters) – Objections by Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) against landmark union elections at the company’s New York warehouse justify a hearing that could overturn the result, said an employee of the US National Labor Council (NLRB) .
The online retailer accused the NLRB’s Brooklyn office of seeming to support the union’s initiative and said labor organizers had intimidated workers to vote in their favor, claiming the union had fired. Read more
Citing the behavior of the Brooklyn office, Amazon last month secured the transfer of the case to the Phoenix-based NLRB region. Corneal Overstreet’s director said the evidence behind Amazon’s allegations “could be grounds for canceling the election”, according to documents Friday.
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About 55% of employees who voted from Amazon’s JFK8 warehouse in the Staten Island area chose to join the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), which is pushing for higher pay and job security. Turnout was about 58%. Read more
The election marks the first time American Amazon employees have decided to unite in the company’s nearly 28-year history, a victory for an organized workforce that has sought greater protection for years at the country’s second-largest private employer. Read more
Overstreet did not specify which of Amazon’s 25 objections has the potential to invalidate the election result. He said the parties could submit testimony from May 23, after which an NLRB hearing officer would recommend whether to confirm the result. The process can take weeks.
Eric Milner, an ALU lawyer, said the hearing bar was “very low” and no official had yet verified Amazon’s alleged evidence.
“While ALU is disappointed with any delay in Amazon’s negotiating obligations, we remain confident that all of Amazon’s objections will eventually be rejected,” he said.
Amazon spokesman Kelly Nantel said: “We want the votes of our employees to be heard and in this case it did not happen – less than a third of employees on the site voted for the union.
The NLRB said his coercion against Amazon was in line with his congressional mandate.
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Report by Jeffrey Dustin in Palo Alto, California; Edited by Lisa Shoemaker and Stephen Coates
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