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Failed Amazon union effort renews call for updated U.S. labor laws

Published 04/09/2021, 02:26 PM
Updated 04/09/2021, 04:20 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Danny Gonzalez makes deliveries for Amazon during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Danny Gonzalez makes deliveries for Amazon during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A failed attempt to unionize Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) warehouse workers shows why Congress needs to pass proposed legislation to protect labor unions against corporations' anti-organizing efforts, Democratic lawmakers and labor activists said Friday.

Democratic Representative Bobby Scott, who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee, urged the Senate to pass the PRO Act which passed the House last month to make it more difficult for companies to interfere with union organizing.

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act would allow unions to collect dues from non-members covered by their contracts and forbid companies from holding mandatory meetings to lobby against a union, among other measures.

"America's workers will not have consistent access to free, fair, and safe union elections until we strengthen our nation’s labor laws. We cannot continue allowing employers to interfere with workers' decision whether or not to form a union," Scott said in a statement.

Efforts to unionize Amazon.com workers in Alabama were defeated by a big margin on Friday but the union was set to challenge the results in part because of what it said was Amazon pressure on the U.S. Postal Service to put a mailbox outside the warehouse and then pushing employees to use that mailbox to vote.

Representative Andy Levin, a Democrat, said that Amazon win would likely backfire. "Without knowing it, they are igniting a movement to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act," he added.

But the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, which includes the Chamber of Commerce and other big industry groups, argued that unions supported workers in the past but now "simply want to use political influence to change all the rules to help themselves win elections and pad union dues."

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Danny Gonzalez makes deliveries for Amazon during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease

The Economic Policy Institute noted the key role that Amazon workers played in the pandemic, said they deserved "a fair election," and called for the PRO Act to become law.

Latest comments

don't like the job LEAVE IT
Unions were once a good thing i. the beginning due to child labor abuse. Unions are no longer needed or wanted by 89% of workforce. Unions are just a other political group of Democrats. Dues end up for DNC wacknut candidates like Joe Biden or Cuomo
100% agree
this completely false. sounds like who you hang out with all self employed people. I
"...make it more difficult for companies to interfere with union organizing." Sample Ballot: () "Yes, I want a Union." () "No, I want a Union."
what a loss of *******, we can't win so let's change the laws. Maybe people don't want unions so they can still be competitive and not lose their jobs to overseas or other companies. Also I don't think anyone would like to be forced to pay union dues
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