Staten Island Amazon employees unionize

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Dec 14, 2018

A group of employees from Amazon's Staten Island fulfillment center have organized for a unionized campaign with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

According to a Bloomberg report, the workers claim that the e-commerce company "treats them like robots and should be focused on improving conditions there rather than raking in tax breaks to build a new headquarters."

This marks yet another instance of mounting pressure against Amazon, as the push back against its HQ2 in New York's Long Island City continues to make headlines. Those who have protested the company's new campus believe Amazon's arrival will bring staggering rent increases and heightened commuter congestion, among other issues.   

Now, the Staten Island workers are using the weight of $3 billion in incentives promised to Amazon for its HQ2 in New York, as a shield to prevent the company from retaliating against their efforts.

Employees backing the unionized campaign told Bloomberg that "the issues at the warehouse include safety concerns, inadequate pay, and 12-hour shifts with insufficient breaks and unreasonable hourly quotas, after which they lose more of their day waiting unpaid in long lines for security checks."

Amazon spokeswoman Rachael Lighty said in an email that the company "follows all state employment laws," including restricting employees’ hours to 60 at most per week, Bloomberg reports. Lighty continued, saying that many employees are eager to work extra hours at the overtime rate during the peak season, which ranges from $26.25 to $34.50 an hour at the Staten Island center. 

On Wednesday, Amazon executives and New York City officials had the first of three hearings before the New York City Council, where the agreement for the new headquarters is set to be reviewed. 

Despite public protest, a recent Quinnipiac University poll indicated that most New Yorkers are in favor of the company's arrival.