Amazon Labor Union votes overwhelmingly to join forces with Teamsters in NYC The Amazon Labor Union, which represents the internet giant's workers at its JFK8 warehouse on Staten Island, New York, voted overwhelmingly to ally with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Tuesday. The vote was decided by a 98.3 percent majority in favor of the affiliation, adding 5,500 ALU workers to the Teamsters …
It is not before time that a union had the tie power to stand up to the likes of Amazon. I have never really understood why American industry is so anti-union apart from the fact that they are seen as an obstacle in management's path to running a business their way. Of course they are an obstacle but in my lifetime experience as much as anything they stand up for workers' rights and employers' legal duties being upheld. It is not just a matter of standing on picket lines and shouting slogans, that is a small part of what unions do.
I spent the last five years of my career with Royal Mail as Union Rep/Shop Steward in a delivery office and the biggest part of my time doing that was spent representing members at disciplinary hearings and discussing working practices and issues related to health and safety. And when push comes to shove there are far better ways of putting pressure on employers than going on strike.
Chris Cosgrove
I have never really understood why American industry is so anti-union ... I spent the last five years of my career with Royal Mail as Union Rep/Shop Steward
Firstly, because unions (like the teamsters) have a history of criminality in America ... secondly, because American companies aren't traditionally bound by the rigid class structures of English management.
Looking the other way, my American relatives had trouble understanding why English workers would agree to be union members.
American unions have NEVER been anywhere close to as criminal as American corporations.
The problem is the American education system. They tend to indoctrinate "capitalism good, workers bad" into kids.
The decline of unions in America has directly coincided with the stagnation of wages and the increase in wealth of the new robber barons.
That’s a case study in why Unionisation at Amazon, Apple and Starbucks is needed. That’s a thoroughly abusive relationship.
In many developed countries that sort of behaviour would be unlawful from a work transfer perspective. Self evidently as Amazon for logistics purposes can’t redomicile JFK8 to Texas.
… who will probably have an eye on their vast trucking and delivery workforce.. regardless of their contractual style/method they provide labour to Amazon.
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer company (Apple, Tesla, Door Dash, Uber/Eats, Jusf Eat, Deliveroo, Grubhub and very especially Starbucks aside).
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