Amazon workers in Albany, New York, vote against unionization

NBC via MSN ^ | 2022-10-24 | Annie Palmer

[Salman]

Employees at an Amazon warehouse near Albany overwhelmingly rejected a unionization effort on Tuesday, delivering a blow to an upstart labor union seeking to organize workers at the retail giant.

The tally was 206 votes in favor of the union and 406 votes opposed. Officials said 949 workers at the ALB1 warehouse were eligible to vote on whether they should become part of the Amazon Labor Union. Four ballots were voided. The results of the election still need to be certified by the National Labor Relations Board.

The results mark the latest setback for the Amazon Labor Union, a grassroots organization of current and former Amazon employees, which had a historic win in April at the JFK8 warehouse on New York’s Staten Island. The group also lost a vote in May at a nearby warehouse on Staten Island.

Chris Smalls, president of ALU, said in a statement that the voting process “wasn’t free and fair,” suggesting the union may seek to challenge the election results. Lawyers for the ALU have already filed 27 unfair labor practice charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board.

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[Salman]

Just one data point.

[JJBookman]

Labor unions are nothing but money pipelines to Democrats.

[Red Badger]

[catnipman]

apparently the workers at this particular facility feel like they’re being treated and paid fairly ...

[iamgalt]

Watch the NLRB refuse to certify the vote.

[LeonardFMason]

“Chris Smalls, president of ALU, said in a statement that the voting process “wasn’t free and fair,” suggesting the union may seek to challenge the election results.”

ELECTION DENIER!!!!!!!

[Salman]

apparently the workers at this particular facility feel like they’re being treated and paid fairly ...

Not necessarily. But they expect nothing good from the union.

[FrankRizzo890]

If they lose, this is ALWAYS the 1st item in the playbook. Claim voter intimidation.

[BobL]

“Just one data point.”

Better than nothing, but the REAL PRIZE would be getting rid of labor unions, totally, once and for all. By 1980, virtually every purpose they served was written into law...just no need for them, at least if we’re SERIOUS about bringing manufacturing back to America.

[PortugeeJoe]

My wife has worked in an Amazon warehouse for almost 4 years and loves it. The work is physical and hard, but she has lost 30 pounds working there and is in the best shape in the 27 years we have known each other. She works with a bunch of her friends who have fun working together and frequently do pot luck lunches (albeit at 4 AM ). She says her bosses treat everyone great and only the weakest workers ever get into any trouble (and eventually get let go). She has nice benefits including 401K and stick purchase plan, makes almost $22.00 an hour for no brainer work so once she walks out the door she has no thoughts about work. She is going to start taking classes on Amazon's dime. She has some flexibility in her schedule dues to the number of unpaid time off she earns. (She also gets paid vacation days and time and a half or double time on holidays). She came home one morning and asked about unions and said someone at her warehouse was trying to organize one --- but all of her friends told the guy to bleep off.

[BobL]

GREAT STORY - we just have one guy here who was a union steward, or something, and thinks that unions are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

All that I see unions good for, at this point, is outsourcing to China, Mexico, and the rest of the world.

[BobL]

Oh, and thank her for me, for getting the super-quick deliveries. I still remember ordering from Sears...took weeks, not the day or two, or even hours (in some cases) that we get with Amazon.

[cyclotic]

My dad owned a fairly large commercial glazing company in the Detroit area. I worked there on and off in high school and college. It was a union shop with a very weak union. The only guy who cared was the union steward.

Every time he saw me working, he’d file some sort of grievance and also get in my face. I didn’t care and neither did my dad or the foreman.

One day, the foreman sent me to make a jobsite delivery. He had forgotten the union thug was the one on that job. It was amazing how his union attitude changed when he needed help getting a bunch of glass up ten stories and installed.

[Betty Jane]

I have a friend who is shop steward for a government employee union in NY. There is a convention going on now. It seems like there has been some speakers getting an earful in the one on one talks. While a speaker was pimping for Hochul a man yelled vote for Zeldin. He got some cheers, where in the past nobody would have spoken out. Interesting.

[BobL]

“One day, the foreman sent me to make a jobsite delivery. He had forgotten the union thug was the one on that job. It was amazing how his union attitude changed when he needed help getting a bunch of glass up ten stories and installed.”

That’s the funny part. Once a union guy realizes that “the man” might actually be a cool dude, attitudes can instantly change.

[cyclotic]

I wasn’t “the Man.” I was nothing but a shop guy

[BobL]

“I wasn’t “the Man.” I was nothing but a shop guy”

LOL, sorry, didn’t mean to disparage you.

[mewzilla]

Unions are great.

For their higher ups.

The rank and file are just cannon fodder.

[cyclotic]

No offense taken. My dad did own the place but my job there was just as a basic laborer.

[minnesota_bound]

Expect suspicious fires breaking out at the warehouses.