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Amazon workers participate in a May Day rally in Manhattan on May 1, 2022 in New York City. (Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
Amazon's union-busting tactics appeared successful on Monday after a tally by the National Labor Relations Board revealed workers failed to unionize a second Amazon warehouse in New York City on Staten Island.
"The organizing will continue at this facility and beyond."
The final tally of workers at the LDJ5 warehouse was 380 in favor of the union to 618 against out of 1,633 eligible voters.
The loss came a month after workers at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island made history by voting in favor of Amazon's first-ever union in the United States--a result Amazon is trying to overturn.
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU), the worker-led organization started by former JFK8 employee Christian Smalls--fired after his organizing efforts--lamented that workers at a second Amazon facility weren't able to secure victory.
"The organizing will continue at this facility and beyond," ALU tweeted. "The fight has just begun."
Attorney Seth Goldstein, who represents ALU, told VICE they would contest the election and accused the retail giant of violating "laboratory conditions in this election with mandatory anti-union meetings and we've already got a whole series of charges against them."
Labor Notes reported last month that Amazon was "trying every trick in the playbook to throttle worker organizing at its Staten Island warehouses in New York City," with such efforts including mandatory anti-union meetings.
Ahead of the final tabulation, ALU pointed to a swelling labor movement.
"No matter the outcome of the election," the group tweeted, "workers are uniting for change at LDJ5, JFK8, and around the world. Mega-corporations continue to spend millions in union-busting + fear tactics and we continue to organize for a society not based on exploitation and greed."
Maurice Mitchell, national director of Working Families Party, had a similar takeaway.
"Every movement will meet roadblocks," Mitchell said in a statement, "but today's outcome doesn't change the simple fact that working people are taking on the billionaires and big corporations--and they're winning."
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"This year has seen an incredible resurgence of worker power," he continued, "as warehouse workers, baristas, and grocery store clerks demand good pay, basic benefits, and respect on the job."
"Each victory is all the more impressive because workers are fighting within a rigged system that gives corporations the power to union-bust with impunity. That has to change," he added. Mitchell urged Congress to take up the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would strengthen worker protections on the job.
But whether or not lawmakers take up that proposal, Mitchell said that "workers will keep fighting, shop by shop and election by election, until they win."
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Amazon's union-busting tactics appeared successful on Monday after a tally by the National Labor Relations Board revealed workers failed to unionize a second Amazon warehouse in New York City on Staten Island.
"The organizing will continue at this facility and beyond."
The final tally of workers at the LDJ5 warehouse was 380 in favor of the union to 618 against out of 1,633 eligible voters.
The loss came a month after workers at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island made history by voting in favor of Amazon's first-ever union in the United States--a result Amazon is trying to overturn.
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU), the worker-led organization started by former JFK8 employee Christian Smalls--fired after his organizing efforts--lamented that workers at a second Amazon facility weren't able to secure victory.
"The organizing will continue at this facility and beyond," ALU tweeted. "The fight has just begun."
Attorney Seth Goldstein, who represents ALU, told VICE they would contest the election and accused the retail giant of violating "laboratory conditions in this election with mandatory anti-union meetings and we've already got a whole series of charges against them."
Labor Notes reported last month that Amazon was "trying every trick in the playbook to throttle worker organizing at its Staten Island warehouses in New York City," with such efforts including mandatory anti-union meetings.
Ahead of the final tabulation, ALU pointed to a swelling labor movement.
"No matter the outcome of the election," the group tweeted, "workers are uniting for change at LDJ5, JFK8, and around the world. Mega-corporations continue to spend millions in union-busting + fear tactics and we continue to organize for a society not based on exploitation and greed."
Maurice Mitchell, national director of Working Families Party, had a similar takeaway.
"Every movement will meet roadblocks," Mitchell said in a statement, "but today's outcome doesn't change the simple fact that working people are taking on the billionaires and big corporations--and they're winning."
Related Content

"This year has seen an incredible resurgence of worker power," he continued, "as warehouse workers, baristas, and grocery store clerks demand good pay, basic benefits, and respect on the job."
"Each victory is all the more impressive because workers are fighting within a rigged system that gives corporations the power to union-bust with impunity. That has to change," he added. Mitchell urged Congress to take up the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would strengthen worker protections on the job.
But whether or not lawmakers take up that proposal, Mitchell said that "workers will keep fighting, shop by shop and election by election, until they win."
Amazon's union-busting tactics appeared successful on Monday after a tally by the National Labor Relations Board revealed workers failed to unionize a second Amazon warehouse in New York City on Staten Island.
"The organizing will continue at this facility and beyond."
The final tally of workers at the LDJ5 warehouse was 380 in favor of the union to 618 against out of 1,633 eligible voters.
The loss came a month after workers at the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island made history by voting in favor of Amazon's first-ever union in the United States--a result Amazon is trying to overturn.
The Amazon Labor Union (ALU), the worker-led organization started by former JFK8 employee Christian Smalls--fired after his organizing efforts--lamented that workers at a second Amazon facility weren't able to secure victory.
"The organizing will continue at this facility and beyond," ALU tweeted. "The fight has just begun."
Attorney Seth Goldstein, who represents ALU, told VICE they would contest the election and accused the retail giant of violating "laboratory conditions in this election with mandatory anti-union meetings and we've already got a whole series of charges against them."
Labor Notes reported last month that Amazon was "trying every trick in the playbook to throttle worker organizing at its Staten Island warehouses in New York City," with such efforts including mandatory anti-union meetings.
Ahead of the final tabulation, ALU pointed to a swelling labor movement.
"No matter the outcome of the election," the group tweeted, "workers are uniting for change at LDJ5, JFK8, and around the world. Mega-corporations continue to spend millions in union-busting + fear tactics and we continue to organize for a society not based on exploitation and greed."
Maurice Mitchell, national director of Working Families Party, had a similar takeaway.
"Every movement will meet roadblocks," Mitchell said in a statement, "but today's outcome doesn't change the simple fact that working people are taking on the billionaires and big corporations--and they're winning."
Related Content

"This year has seen an incredible resurgence of worker power," he continued, "as warehouse workers, baristas, and grocery store clerks demand good pay, basic benefits, and respect on the job."
"Each victory is all the more impressive because workers are fighting within a rigged system that gives corporations the power to union-bust with impunity. That has to change," he added. Mitchell urged Congress to take up the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would strengthen worker protections on the job.
But whether or not lawmakers take up that proposal, Mitchell said that "workers will keep fighting, shop by shop and election by election, until they win."