Amazon’s mandatory anti-union meetings have been banned by the Labor council
- The National Labor Relations Board has ruled against Amazon
- Amazon can no longer hold mandatory anti-union meetings
- The meetings were found to violate workers’ rights
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has done just that ruled Amazon can no longer impose mandatory meetings for a captive audience on its workforce, as it appears to use these events to “coerce” workers with anti-union objectives.
The decision passed 3-1, with NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo arguing that the meetings violated workers’ rights because they were forced to attend and subjected to the company’s anti-union messaging.
Abruzzo stressed that companies should have the freedom to defend their position against unions, but that workers should not be forced to listen.
Victories for employees
This is the latest development in a series of conflicts between Amazon and its workers, with the retailer aggressively opposing organizing efforts and unionization at its warehouses.
Tech workers have some of the lowest union membership of any sector, and efforts by Amazon to discourage workers from organizing have proven effective. However, the law stipulates that employees must be able to freely choose whether to debate union representation, and when and how to do so.
“Ensuring that workers have a truly free choice about whether they want union representation is one of the fundamental goals of the National Labor Relations Act. Handcuffed public meetings – which give employers virtually unfettered freedom to impose their unionization message on workers threatened by discipline or dismissal – undermine this important goal,” said President Lauren McFerran.
“Today’s decision better protects employees’ freedom to make their own choices in exercising their rights under the law, while ensuring that employers can communicate their views on unionization in a non-coercive way.”
Despite significant opposition from the retail giant, Staten Island workers scored a historic victory by voting to form the Amazon Labor Union, a huge step in their fight for better working conditions and protections.
Via Engadget