STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Amazon violated federal labor laws through a series of actions, including unfair interrogation and racial stereotyping, aimed at denigrating the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) on Staten Island, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge has ruled.
Administrative Judge Lauren Esposito found that, in retaliation for employees’ support for the union, or for taking part in lawfully protected concerted activities, Amazon dismissed employees early, altered employees’ work assignments, and subjected employees at Staten Island’s JFK8 location to close supervision between May and October 2021 in violation the National Labor Relations Act, the NLR said Friday.
Additionally, the judge found that Amazon unlawfully interrogated employees, disparaged the union through “appeals to racial prejudice and derogatory racial stereotyping,” and prohibited the distribution of, and confiscated, union literature, as detailed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
The New York judge listened to virtual testimony from labor consultants and Amazon employees and managers for almost a year before making a decision.
THE VIOLATIONS
The violations took place at Staten Island’s JFK8 fulfillment center, the largest warehouse in New York, during a period of time ranging from May through October 2021, as indicated in court documents. The disruptive conduct came ahead of an April 2022 election which saw JFK8 become the nation’s first Amazon location to vote in favor of a union.
One of the witnesses called on behalf of Amazon was Bradley Moss, who in May of 2021, worked as an independent contractor for the Burke Group brought on as a labor consultant at JFK8, as identified in court documents. The Burke Group, as described in court documents, is a labor relations consultancy firm with expertise in “union avoidance.”
Although Moss denied conveying to employees that ALU support would be futile, the judge concluded otherwise, finding that in May of 2021, Moss did…
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