Amazon union election should be run again, labor board official says

I really wonder why union votes are necessary, and think the legal framework should be changed.<p>What if those workers who wanted to join a union did so, and the union collectively bargained on their behalf. Those who did not want to join could continue to negotiate with their employer on a 1-1 basis. This outcome is also more efficient for the employer since some % of the workforce is choosing to work through a single representative, lightening the load for HR.<p>Shareholders in a business can associate freely and vote as a bloc if so inclined, so I see no reason why workers should not do the same. For that matter, I often think unions would have an increased bargaining position by holding one share of stock per represented worker.

&gt; Myers’ recommendation centers on the mailbox, according to one of the people familiar with it. During the NLRB hearing, an employee said Amazon security guards used keys to open the mailbox, testimony that former NLRB chair Wilma Liebman said could be reason enough to overturn the result.<p>I just don&#x27;t buy it.<p>1. The evidence seems to be based on the word of a single employee. If that&#x27;s enough evidence to overturn an election, it will be hard to have one that isn&#x27;t overturned.<p>2. The final total was 70-30. It would be impractical for Amazon to change the outcome because the size of the manipulation would have to be massive compared to the vote total, and would be easily detected.<p>3. It makes sense that the union lost the election because Amazon pays way above market in wages + benefits for the region. The union would be unlikely to have the leverage to increase compensation and might even be forced to take a cut, so it would be a hard sell to workers to pay dues.

The union probably wants this public so they can say Amazon cheated but the union might not want a 2nd vote to actually happen so they don&#x27;t lose.<p>Claim &quot;Moral victory&quot; and move on for a while.

Is the underlying accusation by the union that Amazon somehow tampered with US Postal Service mail or mailboxes? Because that would be quite a grave accusation, far worse than any charge of union vote improprieties.

&gt;Their voice should be heard above all else, and we plan to appeal to ensure that happens.<p>&quot;Their voice should be heard above all else, so we&#x27;ll ignore reports that we silenced their voice and prevent them from having another opportunity to let out their voice.&quot; Just an absurd PR spin.

&gt; Myers’ recommendation centers on the mailbox, according to one of the people familiar with it. During the NLRB hearing, an employee said Amazon security guards used keys to open the mailbox, testimony that former NLRB chair Wilma Liebman said could be reason enough to overturn the result.<p>From previous reporting about this testimony:<p>&gt; Jackson, who was testifying via Zoom after just getting out of the hospital, said that he was leaving work one morning when he saw security guards approach the mailbox. He proceeded to watch them open a large box at the bottom of the mailbox labeled “1P.” While it was dark at the time, Jackson said his headlights illuminated the area, so he was able to clearly see what they were doing.<p>Anyone who&#x27;s lived in an apartment building would know this was a box for incoming mail, but I wouldn&#x27;t be surprised if single family housing was the norm around the warehouse.

&quot;Should&quot; sounds an awful lot like &quot;won&#x27;t, and nobody will actually force them to do so&quot;.

In this attempt, I hope the organizers take the time to listen to many workers to understand their employment concerns as well as concerns with unionization. In the previous attempt, I found their website sorely lacking in specific demands, <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;bamazonunion.org" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;bamazonunion.org</a><p>The messaging seemed to be generic arguments in favor of unions combined with some general Amazon and Bezos criticisms. Even reading through the linked reports, didn&#x27;t seem to provide a particularly convincing argument. E.g., they begin their concerns about workplace safety with<p>&gt; The report notes that between 2013 and the time of publication earlier this year, seven workers had died at Amazon facilities. According to the report, two were crushed by forklifts in the warehouses, one was run over by a truck, one was killed by a driver in its parking lot, one suffered a fatal heart-related event during an overnight shift, one was dragged and crushed by a conveyor belt, and one was killed and crushed by a pallet loader. Two more Amazon workers were killed just weeks ago when a warehouse in Maryland partially collapsed during a storm.<p>While workplace deaths are certainly concerning, nine deaths in eight years for a workforce that is now up to 876,000 workers [0] suggests these deaths are exceedingly rare and may not be something most workers are thinking about. Further, there’s already OSHA requirements for workplace safety and I’d imagine all firms, including Amazon, want to avoid worker deaths and will make the necessary changes.<p>I think a union will need to address the specific demands of the workers they will be representing rather than generic arguments for unionization. Further, Amazon may be a particularly challenging workplace to organize since they already pay exceedingly well for unskilled labor, with a starting minimum rate of $15&#x2F;hour and surprisingly good health benefits. [1] For many workers, Amazon may be the best job they’ve ever had and these workers may be concerned about risking the situation.<p>This includes risks like Amazon shutting down a unionized warehouse, which should be illegal, but there are workarounds. More likely, Amazon would just not grow a unionized warehouse and instead grow nearby ones to control labor costs. This would include building new warehouses if necessary.<p>Amazon may also be particularly aggressive in automation investments for a unionized warehouse, which would allow them to justify layoffs for redundant workers. Some analysts have even proposed that Amazon may be able to have “dark warehouses” (i.e., warehouses that keep the lights off) with full automation within 10 years. [2] Union concerns may lead them to invest even more aggressively in automation tech.<p>In general, I want to see workers&#x27; concerns addressed at all firms, and unionizing may be the best approach for this Amazon warehouse, but I think this will be challenging and will require organizers to put a lot of thought into the specific demands that the majority of workers want.<p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.businessinsider.com&#x2F;amazon-number-of-employees-workforce-workers-2020-9" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.businessinsider.com&#x2F;amazon-number-of-employees-w...</a><p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.aboutamazon.com&#x2F;workplace&#x2F;employee-benefits" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.aboutamazon.com&#x2F;workplace&#x2F;employee-benefits</a><p>[2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;futurism.com&#x2F;the-byte&#x2F;amazon-automated-warehouses-10-years" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;futurism.com&#x2F;the-byte&#x2F;amazon-automated-warehouses-10...</a>

The people voted and rejected it. You can’t keep voting until you somehow get your way. Come back in 5 years or something. Until then it just sounds like people trying to justify their livelihoods.

Strong shades of Brexit here. The vote was clearly influenced by a concerted anti-democratic campaign, and while a second vote might be fairer, the rule of law lends heavy weight to the first corrupted vote.<p>Irritatingly, once the vote is corrupted, then that&#x27;s basically the end of the democratic process. We know this from studying over a century of modern totalitarian states.