Amazon workers at a facility near Raleigh, North Carolina, are voting on whether to join a union, facing a heavy dose of anti-union propaganda from the company. The facility, which employs around 4,700 workers, has become the latest battleground in Amazon's ongoing conflict with labor organizers. Workers report facing constant surveillance and anti-union messaging through various digital platforms.
Amazon workers at a facility near Raleigh, North Carolina, are facing a barrage of anti-union propaganda as they vote on whether to join a union. The facility in Garner employs around 4,700 workers and has become the epicenter of Amazon 's latest labor showdown. In December, Amazon delivery and warehouse workers at nine facilities went on strike, organized by the Teamsters, during the peak holiday shopping season.
Italo Medelius-Marsano, a law student at North Carolina Central University in 2022, experienced a shift in the atmosphere at his workplace in the past month. Now, he says, flyers, mounted TVs, and QR codes urging workers to vote 'no' are ubiquitous. The facility, known as RDU1, is the site of a vote on whether to join Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity (CAUSE), a grassroots union comprised of current and former employees. CAUSE organizers launched the group in 2022 to advocate for higher wages and improved working conditions. Voting concludes on Saturday. Workers at RDU1 and other Amazon facilities have reported that the company increasingly utilizes digital tools to discourage unionization. This includes messaging through the company's app and workstation computers. Automated software and handheld package scanners track employee performance within the warehouse, providing Amazon with detailed information on when and what employees are doing. 'You cannot escape the anti-union propaganda or constant surveillance,' Medelius-Marsano, a CAUSE organizer, stated. 'Cameras are everywhere in the building. You can't enter work without scanning a badge or logging into a machine—they track you.' CAUSE representatives have made their presence felt at RDU1, setting up a 'CAUSE HQ' tent across the street from the warehouse and distributing leaflets in the break room.Amazon, the nation's second-largest private employer, has long resisted unionization efforts. This strategy proved successful in the U.S. when workers at a Staten Island warehouse voted to join the Amazon Labor Union. However, last month, workers at a Whole Foods store in Philadelphia, organized by the Teamsters, went on strike during the holiday shopping season, forcing the company to engage in bargaining. The strike concluded on Christmas Eve. Union elections at other Amazon warehouses in New York have been unsuccessful in recent years, while the outcome of a union drive at an Alabama facility is currently contested. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has documented 343 open or settled unfair labor practice charges against Amazon, its subsidiaries, and contracted delivery companies in the U.S. Amazon has challenged the NLRB's authority in legal filings, arguing that the agency is unconstitutional.Eileen Hards, an Amazon spokeswoman, stated that the company's employees have the right to choose whether or not to join a union. 'We believe both decisions should be equally protected, which is why we talk openly, candidly, and respectfully about these topics, actively sharing facts with employees so they can make an informed decision,' Hards said in a statement. She reiterated that Amazon does not retaliate against employees for union activities and dismissed claims that employee monitoring discourages unionization as 'odd.' 'The site is operating, so employees are still expected to perform their usual work,' Hards stated. 'Furthermore, the camera technology in our facilities is not for employee surveillance. It's to guide the flow of goods through the facilities and ensure the safety and security of both employees and inventory.'Orin Starn, a CAUSE organizer who was fired by Amazon last year for violating the company's drug and alcohol policy, characterized Amazon's employee tracking as 'algorithmic management of labor.' Starn, an anthropology professor at Duke University, began working undercover at RDU1 in 2023 to conduct research for a book on Amazon. 'A century ago, a supervisor would have walked around to see if you were slacking off. Now, in a modern warehouse like Amazon, you're digitally tracked through a scanner,' Starn explained. John Logan, a professor and director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University, told CNBC in an email that Amazon has 'perfected the weaponization' of technology, workplace surveillance, and algorithmic management during anti-union campaigns 'more than any other company.
Amazon Unionization Labor Employee Surveillance Anti-Union Propaganda NC Workers Logistics Work Conditions CAUSE
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