Amazon’s unionized workers on Tuesday voted to affiliate with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, bringing more resources to the retail giant’s embattled union.
Amazon Labor Union leadership had agreed to join the Teamsters in early June, and Tuesday’s ratification vote sealed the deal. The partnership with the Teamsters will provide the ALU, which has successfully unionized only one Amazon warehouse, with increased funding and organizational resources as they negotiate a contract.
“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 General President Sean O’Brien said in a statement.
Under the agreement, Teamsters leadership will represent the 5,500 unionized workers at Amazon’s JFK8 warehouse.
The JFK8 is the only fully unionized Amazon warehouse in the U.S.
ALU’s landmark union victory in 2022 was dampened by the lack of other union victories, and the warehouse is still without a contract.
Amazon has contested the results of the 2022 union election at JFK8 and has refused to bargain with the ALU. The new partnership with the Teamsters could bring Amazon to the bargaining table.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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