Amazon has officially filed its objections to the Amazon Labor Union victory in Staten Island, New York, and is asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to order new elections. The objections stem from a document the company recently filed showing it plans to fight the election results — the company now says ALU members “harassed employees”, “registered voters at the polls” and “marijuana distributed to employees in return for their support,” said an excerpt posted by Financial times reporter Dave Lee†
The full complaint was not immediately available from the NLRB on Friday. The Amazon Labor Union did not immediately respond to: The edge‘s request for comment.
In a statement emailed to: The edgeAmazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said: “Based on the evidence we have seen to date, as set out in our objections, we believe that the actions of the NLRB and the ALU have improperly suppressed and influenced the vote, and we think the elections will be held again so that a fair and broadly representative vote can be held.”
Amazon could not deliver The edge with a copy of his objections. The company recently asked the NLRB to give it more time to collect evidence, which it was allowed to do – it will have to provide the documentation to the agency by April 22.
In the complaint, the company says the NLRB has “failed to protect the integrity and neutrality of its proceedings.” according to Bloomberg† In the document filed on Wednesday, Amazon objected to “fluff allegations of unfair labor practices against Amazon”. The NLRB has filed several complaints and lawsuits against Amazon, alleging that the company fired employees in retaliation for the organization and that company representatives intimidated and controlled employees.
“The NLRB is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with enforcing the National Labor Relations Act. All NLRB enforcement actions against Amazon are consistent with that Congressional mandate,” said Kayla Blado, a spokesperson for the NLRB, in an email to The edge†
Amazon sets a precedent in its request to reverse the election results. In its filing, the company says, “The actions of both the region and the ALU are significantly more blatant than the United States Postal Service’s installation of a letterbox, which the board of directors says was destroyed and disrupted laboratory conditions in the overwhelming election victory. from Amazon” during the union drive in Bessemer, Alabama. The company goes on to say, “The inappropriate actions of the region and ALU justify at least the same result here.”
Last year, after workers at Amazon’s Bessemer facility voted nearly two-to-one against unionization, the NLRB ruled that the company had violated labor law during the election. The regulator said Amazon’s “unilateral decision to shut down the United States Postal Service… [NLRB’s] exclusive role in the management of the elections to the Union.”