ORLANDO, Fla. – The passage of a union among Amazon warehouse workers is a historic first for one of the largest employers in the U.S., union organizers said Friday.
Marcus Courtney said he helped organize the first Amazon union in 2000 while working at an Amazon call center in Seattle. However, he failed to get the votes to pass it over two decades ago.
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“It’s a tremendous victory for workers,” Courtney said. “For the past two years, working inside the warehouses, putting their life on the line in order to distribute vital goods and services to the American public, and see Amazon profits soar to unimaginable heights, feels like, well hey, maybe it’s time I share in some of that wealth too.”
Courtney said Amazon warehouse workers are concerned about pandemic safety, low wages and limited mobility to move up in the ranks within the company.
“They tried to do that with Amazon management, they felt ignored, so they felt forming a union and having management actually sit down across the table and negotiate with them and sit at the table was the best course of action,” Courtney said.
On Friday, the U.S. House Oversight Committee released a statement in regards to allegations against Amazon’s safety practices, writing the following:
“We are concerned by recent reports that Amazon may be putting the health and safety of its workers at risk, including by requiring them to work in dangerous conditions during tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme weather.”
Courtney said many Amazon warehouse employees have complained of exhaustion and quotas to pressure employees to work faster.
“The pace of work that they have. They absolutely have an extremely high turnover rate, which makes it harder to unionize and organize,” Courtney said.
A representative with the Orlando chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America said the successful vote in New York could have a ripple effect here in Florida.
“It is quite literally one of the most momentous (things) to happen in U.S. labor history ever. That’s not an exaggeration. This is one of the largest companies on earth,” Grayson Lanza said.
Amazon released a statement on Friday following the vote:
“We’re disappointed with the outcome of the election in Staten Island because we believe having a direct relationship with the company is best for our employees. We’re evaluating our options, including filing objections based on the inappropriate and undue influence by the NLRB that we and others (including the National Retail Federation and U.S. Chamber of Commerce) witnessed in this election.”