Greater than 100 Amazon workers performed a piece stoppage for round three hours after a fireplace broke out at a achievement heart on Staten Island, New York. Evening shift employees have been moved to a break room as firefighters tackled a dumpster fireplace on a transport dock subsequent to the JFK8 warehouse. Nobody was injured, in accordance with the New York Metropolis Hearth Division, which was referred to as to the scene at round 4PM ET on Monday.
Amazon Labor Union (ALU) president Chris Smalls mentioned round 500 workers declined to return to work. Amazon put the determine at 100 and mentioned one other 1,000 saved working. The employees who downed instruments occupied the human assets workplace and demanded paid day off for the night time, as Motherboard experiences.
“All workers have been safely evacuated, and day shift workers have been despatched residence with pay,” Amazon spokesperson Paul Flaningan informed Gothamist. “The FDNY licensed the constructing is secure and at that time we requested all night time shift workers to report back to their commonly scheduled shift. Whereas the overwhelming majority of workers reported to their workstations, a small group refused to return to work and remained within the constructing with out permission.”
Employees on the warehouse voted to kind a union earlier this 12 months. Amazon has contested the outcomes of the election. Final month, a listening to officer really useful that the Nationwide Labor Relations Board ought to reject Amazon’s claims that the vote was invalid and authorize the union. Pending additional appeals, Amazon has not began union contract negotiations.
In the meantime, employees at one other Amazon warehouse are looking for to unionize with the ALU. An election might be held at a achievement heart exterior of Albany later this month. Amid unionization efforts throughout the corporate, Amazon this week introduced it would improve hourly employees’ pay.
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