First union victory against Amazon

The American labor movement, on the back foot for decades, is regaining hope.

Employees at an Amazon warehouse in New York have finally voted to allow a union to represent them against the management of the e-commerce giant.

To date, no union represents the one million people who work in the United States for Amazon, the country's second largest private employer, behind Walmart.

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The victory of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) by 2654 votes against 2131, is certainly only valid for the employees of the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island.

It nevertheless represents an important symbolic success.

Amazon has been working for years to dissuade its employees from unionizing.

Amazon's sweeping anti-union campaigns have been in the news for months.

Another Amazon site, also in Staten Island, called LDJ5, employing 1,500 people, must in turn decide on the representativeness of ALU on April 25.

Meanwhile, in Bessemer, Alabama, the suspense continues for Amazon.

After the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) invalidated a stinging defeat last year of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), a new consultation has taken place: the union that represents employees in the retail trade, obtained only 875 votes against 993. The count is however much tighter than last year.

416 ballots are now disputed, prolonging the uncertainty.

The Biden administration encourages union recruitment, in its eyes a source of rebalancing power in favor of the middle classes.

Only 10.3% of American employees are unionized today, a proportion half as high as in 1983. In the private sector, unionization is even lower, at 6.1%.

The obligation to contribute to a union banned in 28 States

Efforts by United Auto Workers to convince employees of foreign auto giants with multiple American factories, such as Toyota or Volkswagen, have been in vain.

Americans are reluctant to pay high monthly dues to give a single organization a monopoly on negotiating their employment contract.

In addition, 28 states have banned the closed shop practice of making payment of union dues mandatory as a condition of obtaining employment.

Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, which depend on unions for campaign funding, are seeking to invalidate these so-called “Right to work” laws.

The extraordinary labor shortage that is raging in the United States as we emerge from the pandemic offers a historic opportunity for unions to turn the corner.

In February, for example, there were 1.8 vacancies per job seeker.

Dozens of Amazon sites will be the scene of union elections over the next few months.

Other icon companies are going through the same scenario.

A majority of employees at ten Starbucks cafes, for example, in several US states, have voted in recent months to be represented by Workers United.

This movement is viewed with skepticism by many labor market specialists because it is rare for young Starbucks baristas to make a career out of their job.

Read alsoFrom Amazon to Starbucks, the hour of revenge has come for the American unions

The unionization of Amazon warehouses may also come as a surprise because the Seattle firm is among the most generous in terms of wages and benefits, such as health insurance and tuition assistance.

On the other hand, the organizers of Staten Island in Bessemer insist on the role that a union can play in improving working conditions, from the prevention of accidents to the development of production rates.