Amazon is planning to object to the results of the election where workers at a New York warehouse voted to organize with the Amazon Labor Union, according to a deadline extension request the company filed with the National Labor Relations Board (or NLRB). In the document, which you can read in full below, Amazon says that it’s gathering evidence to show that the union “threatened employees to coerce them into voting yes,” “electioneered and interfered with employees waiting in line to vote,” and “threatened immigrants with the loss of benefits if they did not vote.”
Amazon hasn’t yet filed its final, official objections, according to Kayla Blado, a spokesperson for the NLRB. It will have until 11:59PM ET on Friday to do so, though the company has until April 22nd to file the proof it claims to be gathering.
Amazon’s objection seemed almost inevitable. When news broke that workers had voted to unionize 2,654 to 2,131 in a landmark victory against the notoriously anti-union company, Amazon released a statement saying that it was evaluating its options, which included “filing objections based on the inappropriate and undue influence by the NLRB.” While the company’s main complaints seem to be with the union, its extension request does mention that it plans to object to “frivolous unfair labor practice charges against Amazon.”
The NLRB has sued the company for allegedly firing employees in retaliation for union activity and issued a complaint saying Amazon was “threatening, surveilling, and interrogating” workers in the run-up to the election. It also wants to stop the company from forcing employees to attend “captive audience” meetings, where it presents anti-union talking points to workers required to attend.
In response to Amazon’s objections, a lawyer working for the ALU told Reuters: “To say that the Amazon Labor Union was threatening employees is really absurd,” given that the union is made up of the company’s employees. Amazon did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment on Thursday.
wazup.