Amazon worders voted last week to unionize at a Staten Island Amazon warehouse location. This is the first successful union attempt at Amazon in its history in the United States. Amazon has challenged the vote, which was expected but did so also against the National Labor Relations Board, which is considered an unusual move. If the NLRB does certify the election victory in the next few weeks, then Amazon is legally required to sit down and try to negotiate a contract with the union. This process is expected to be slow-played by the retailer.
Why do we care?
Is this the beginning of a union resurgence? That’s the critical question. Experts I’ve looked to are split.
I’ve covered multiple times the current power of workers. I’ll give you my take – yes and no. I do think there will be a resurgence in unions. I don’t think it will hit knowledge workers deeply. This is noteworthy because it’s Amazon, viewed as a tech company. The union is within its warehouses… making it a lot more like the new Starbucks worker unions than the Alphabet Workers Union. Just don’t forget… there IS an Alphabet Workers Union.
