Amazon workers in NC take big step toward union election

After more than two-and-a-half years of organizing, pro-union workers and advocates are advancing their campaign to unionize the massive Amazon warehouse in Garner, North Carolina.

Since Labor Day, organizers with Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment, or CAUSE, have asked workers at the facility south of Raleigh to sign union authorization cards, a preliminary step to call for an election.

Before requesting an election from the National Labor Relations Board, organizers must get at least 30% of workers to sign union authorization cards within a year. CAUSE is enabling employees to fill out these cards virtually, through QR codes and a link on its website, or with physical signatures.

The organizing group seeks to make RDU1 the nation’s second unionized Amazon facility, joining a warehouse in Staten Island, New York. Opened in August 2020, RDU1 spans 2 million square feet and houses multiple departments across four floors. It supports several thousand workers, with estimates ranging between 3,500 to 6,000.

RDU1 employees Mary Hill and Ryan Brown launched CAUSE in January 2022, and on Wednesday, the two workers will help lead a press conference to promote the union authorization card drive.

“Amazon prioritizes profit over everything else, especially the well-being of workers,” Brown said in a statement Monday.

Among its demands, CAUSE wants Amazon to pay a $30-an-hour minimum starting wage, give 180 hours a year in paid leave time, and provide workers with a full hour paid break during shifts, which the group says often stretch more than 10 hours. If successful, the independent union would collectively bargain pay and benefits on behalf of workers.

CAUSE says hundreds of RDU1 workers have so far signed cards, though the group said it would not share specific numbers at this time. “We’re going to win,” Hill told The News & Observer.

Amazon is the second-largest private employer in the United States, after Walmart.

The union drive in North Carolina has faced obstacles, including high employee turnover and efforts by Amazon to quell support. The employer has held multiple voluntary informational meetings at RDU1 during which unionization is cast in a negative light.

“Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union,” Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said in a statement Monday.

“They always have. We favor opportunities for each person to be respected and valued as an individual, and to have their unique voice heard by working directly with our team. The fact is, Amazon already offers what many unions are requesting: competitive pay, health benefits on day one, and opportunities for career growth.”

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