Andrew Strom, labor lawyer and contributor for OnLabor Blog, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the National Labor Relations Board decision on whether workers at the JFK8 Amazon Fulfilmment Warehouse who voted to unionize have won the union election and what the decision means for contract negotiations.
Two years ago, the JFK8 Amazon workers voted by a 55 percent margin to form a union. Despite the workers' vote, the union has yet to be able to negotiate with the company. Amazon filed an appeal with the NLRB on 25 different grounds, claiming the voting was “unfair,” as Strom put it.
Strom discussed why the appeal has taken nearly two years to receive a decision from the NLRB. On Aug. 29, the board decided 2-1 in favor of the workers forming a union.
Finally, Strom explained what was next, as the union could file potential ULP charges against Amazon for not bargaining in good faith. He also discussed Amazon's union-busting campaign during the process and the additional charges that could be filed. Unfortunately, these charges might take another two years to resolve, raising the question of whether many of these workers will still be Amazon employees.
To learn more about the decision from the NLRB and how it could impact workers during negotiations, listen to the show above.