Pressures Mount on Amazon as Union Issue Looms

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has found that Amazon illegally retaliated against two employees critical of its treatment of workers and its environmental policies when it fired them last year. The news was first reported the New York Times, which said the NLRB will accuse Amazon of unfair labor practices if it does not settle the case with the former employees, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa. A spokesperson for the NLRB confirmed the findings. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment. Cunningham and Costa were reportedly part of the internal group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, which wrote an open letter to CEO Jeff Bezos in 2019, asking the company to address climate change. Five months later, the platform announced its Climate Pledge—which has since become the name of a Seattle arena—although it did not acknowledge the employee demands its provisions fell short of. But, the Times reported, Cunningham and Costa also raised concerns before they were fired in April 2020 about Amazon’s treatment of warehouse workers during the pandemic. An Amazon spokesperson told the Times the employees were terminated for “repeatedly violating internal policies.” The Times also reported Cunningham and Costa are “among dozens of Amazon workers who in the last year told the labor board about company retaliations.” The news of retaliation against employees comes in the midst of a vote count that will determine whether an Amazon warehouse in Alabama becomes the first to unionize. This, in turn, has trained a spotlight on working conditions inside Amazon again. The ecommerce platform has long stressed its $15 hourly minimum and wide-ranging benefits as proof it takes care of its employees, but Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, previously told Adweek the ecommerce giant does not do enough. Chris Smalls, a former Amazon employee turned workers’ rights advocate, agreed, noting warehouse workers are expected to scan an item every seven seconds for a minimum of 400 an hour—and 4000 to 5000 products picked and packed per day. As a result, recently resurfaced reports about employees peeing in bottles during their shifts are not unfounded, he said. Amazon recently got into a Twitter spat with Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan over this very issue, asking, “You don’t really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you? If that were true, no one would work for us.” But, in a rare turnabout, the platform later posted an apology to Pocan, conceding that peeing in bottles is an issue impacting its “large driver population.” Amazon, however, was quick to point out “this is a long-standing, industry-wide issue and is not specific to Amazon,” given traffic, rural routes and closed public restrooms during the pandemic. “A typical Amazon fulfillment center has dozens of restrooms, and employees are able to step away from their work station at any time,” the post said. “If any employee in a fulfillment center has a different experience, we encourage them to speak to their manager and we'll work to fix it.” A spokesperson for Pocan pointed to Twitter for his response: https://twitter.com/repmarkpocan/status/1378322845659447297 The Amazon Union Vote in Alabama Is a Watershed Moment—Here’s Why

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Pressures Mount on Amazon as Union Issue Looms and NLRB Finds Fault

The platform issued a rare apology to Rep. Mark Pocan

Lisa Lacy

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Lisa Lacy