File: The Amazon Distribution Center in Garner, North Carolina opened in August 2020. The warehouse, not on the fourth floor, covers 2 million square feet.
Scott Sharp | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
Amazon Workers at a facility near Raleigh, North Carolina, overwhelmingly voted against the merger on Saturday.
Of the 3,276 votes, 2,447 and 829 votes opposed the coalition were in favor, according to the National Labor Relations Commission. There were 77 challenged votes, and there was a gap that was too narrow to change the outcome of the election. Results still need to be certified by the NLRB.
The election at the facility, named RDU1, on the outskirts of Garner, came after the Carolina Amazonian United organizers for solidarity and empowerment (Cause) that have been campaigning in warehouses for the past three years. The facility employs approximately 4,700 workers.
The cause was in a statement, saying the election results were “the result of Amazon's willingness to break the law.”
“Amazon's ruthless and illegal efforts to intimidate us prove that this company is afraid that workers will gather together to assert our strength,” the group said. . “Amazon might think it's beyond the law, but it doesn't accept a system that allows billionaires and businesses to play with different rules.”
Amazon spokeswoman Irene Hades denied that the company had broken the law or blocked the election.
“We are pleased that Garner's team was able to hear their voices and that they chose to maintain a direct relationship with Amazon,” Hades said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to be a great place to work together and helping our teammates build their future together.”
Amazon, the country's second largest private employer, has long sought to keep unions away from its ranks. This strategy was successful in the United States until 2022, when workers in a Staten Island warehouse voted to join the Amazon Workers Union. Last month, workers at Whole Foods Store in Philadelphia voted to join the United Food and Commercial Worker Union.
Amazon responded to Garner Union's drive with a barrage of anti-union messages in warehouses on its website and sent it to its employees through the ATOZ app. The warehouse leader urged employees to “vote no,” saying the union could “interest in how we work together.” The company explained the cause, saying “they claim to be a union” and “outside party.”
Amazon previously chose whether employees can choose to join the union or not, and “making informed decisions,” and “please openly, openly and respectfully on these topics.” He says he is speaking.
The cause was founded in 2022 by RDU1 employees Mary Hill and Rev. Ryan Brown, and raised concerns about the company's response to the covid pandemic, which they deemed inadequate. The group tried to organize the RDU1 to raise wages and ensure longer breaks.
Starting wages at RDU1 are $18.50 per hour. The cause is that they are seeking negotiations for wages of $30 per hour.
In a statement on Saturday, the cause said it intends to continue organizing at RDU1.
Labor groups have seen beyond the NLRB elections to gain union foothold on Amazon. They accuse employees of filing unfair labor practice accusations against Amazon with the NLRB and accusing them of violating labor laws.
Teamster's International Brotherhood helped coordinate Pickett's efforts at nine Amazon facilities in December. Amazon said the strike had no impact on its operations.
The Teamsters Union says it will represent 9,000 Amazon workers across the country, but the company refuses to recognize negotiations between the union and leadership.
According to Gallup, unions are increasing nationwide as 67% of Americans, who are increasing nationwide, say they approve unions. However, it has not been converted to a higher membership rate. Private sector union members fell to just 5.9% in 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
North Carolina achieved the lowest membership rate in the country last year, with only 2.4% of the state's workers being represented, according to the BLS.
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