{"id":18610,"date":"2022-03-03T23:46:24","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T23:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/03\/03\/a-second-staten-island-amazon-warehouse-has-qualified-to-hold-a-union-election\/"},"modified":"2022-03-03T23:46:24","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T23:46:24","slug":"a-second-staten-island-amazon-warehouse-has-qualified-to-hold-a-union-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/03\/03\/a-second-staten-island-amazon-warehouse-has-qualified-to-hold-a-union-election\/","title":{"rendered":"A second Staten Island Amazon warehouse has qualified to hold a union election"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Amazon has worked to strongly oppose the unions by holding regular classes for employees, <\/b>launching a website<\/a> and telling them the union might not result in raises.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe look forward to having our employees\u2019 voices heard,\u201d Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said in a statement. \u201cOur focus remains on working directly with our team to make Amazon a great place to work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The <\/b>first Staten Island vote, organized by the nascent Amazon Labor Union<\/a>, will take place in person outside the Amazon warehouse from March 25 to March 30. Now, an election could also take place at smaller warehouse LDJ5, also on Staten Island. An election date and terms of a vote have not yet been set.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That sortation center, where packages are sorted for final delivery, has about 1,500 employees total, union organizers said, and the NLRB confirmed that organizers submitted signed cards for at least 30 percent of the potential union group.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Union leaders celebrated the step toward a third election, saying it\u2019s more progress for workers\u2019 rights. The unions have pushed for better pay, longer breaks and less surveillance of workers<\/a> at the massive warehouses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s just another example of how when we come together, we can accomplish these milestones,\u201d said Chris Smalls, a former Amazon employee and organizing leader for the union.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Smalls, who was fired from Amazon in 2020<\/a>, was arrested last week in the parking lot of JFK8 on Staten Island after Amazon security called the police to report he was trespassing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tensions are running high as the votes approach between union organizers and company officials \u2014 and sometimes between workers voting for and against the unions \u2014 at the warehouses. The NLRB accused Amazon in January<\/a> of illegally surveilling and threatening workers who are trying to unionize the warehouse. At the time, Amazon said the allegations were false.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Smalls said he was delivering food to workers on their break on Feb. 23, something he said he has done regularly for 10 months. He was charged with resisting arrest, obstruction of government administration and trespassing after refusing to leave the area, according to an NYPD spokesperson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Smalls disputes that he resisted arrest, and said the incident \u201cmade the company look very ugly.\u201d He was in the same area that many food delivery services use, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Amazon spokeswoman Nantel said in a statement that Smalls had trespassed multiple times, despite warnings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOn Feb. 23, when police officers asked Mr. Smalls to leave, he instead chose to escalate the situation and the police made their own decision on how to respond,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Smalls said a hearing will be held March 14 on the terms of the election at the smaller Staten Island warehouse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n