With some conditions, the workers of a New York Amazon local union have voted to join with the Teamsters Union. The vote saw 98 percent of workers voting for the merger.
Teamsters president Sean O’Brien said of the vote, “Together, with hard work, courage, and conviction, the Teamsters and ALU will fight fearlessly to ensure Amazon workers secure the good jobs and safe working conditions they deserve in a union contract.”
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Excerpt from www.laprogressive.com
As the votes were counted June 17 in New York, it became clear that nearly 1,000 workers—over 98%—voted to affiliate to the Teamsters Union, with certain preconditions. Only a few opposed. This reporter was present on day one of the three-day voting.
The affiliation agreement charters a new local known as Amazon Labor Union No. 1, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (ALU-IBT Local 1), for the five boroughs of New York City. It will have autonomy, ALU-IBT members will be elected to the Teamsters Amazon Division, will assist in organizing other Amazon facilities, ALU-IBT Local 1 will pass its own bylaws. The Teamsters will assist financially “until a collective bargaining agreement is reached and ALU-IBT 1 is able to financially support itself” (Ratification vote flyer)
“Together, with hard work, courage, and conviction, the Teamsters and ALU will fight fearlessly to ensure Amazon workers secure the good jobs and safe working conditions they deserve in a union contract,” Teamsters president Sean O’Brien said in a Teamsters press release June 17.
Outgoing union president (not running for president), Chris Smalls, told the press ““Having the support of 1.3 million Teamsters to take on Amazon gives us tremendous worker power and the opportunities to demand better conditions for our members and, most importantly, to secure a contract at JFK8.”
