Staten Island Amazon workers to vote on unionization next month, workers say

Workers at a Staten Island, N.Y., Amazon facility known as JFK8 will vote on unionization next month, labor organizers said Wednesday.

The election will be held in person between March 25 and 30, according to the independent Amazon Labor Union (ALU).

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) confirmed that a tentative agreement for the election has been reached.

The ALU, which is made up of Amazon workers in Staten Island and not affiliated with any larger labor group, faces steep odds. 

The group had to retract its initial request for holding a unionization election after failing to clear the 30 percent support threshold required by the NLRB.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company remains “skeptical that there are a sufficient number of legitimate signatures to support this election petition.” 

“But since the NLRB has decided the election will proceed, we want our employees to have their voices heard as soon as possible,” she added. 

The new election comes as workers at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Ala., are voting for the second time, by mail, on whether to form a union.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union lost the first vote last year but successfully appealed the outcome on the grounds of Amazon interfering in the process. 

Updated at 2:31 p.m.