The Fight to Uphold the Dignity of Labour
Just Demands of Amazon Workers
Workers at an Amazon Warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama are currently
preparing to vote on joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store
Union. There are about 1,500 permanent full and part-time workers at
the warehouse and U.S. federal labour authorities have approved the
application for a vote, which requires that at least 30 per
cent of the workers sign an application to join the union. The company
is disputing the numbers, claiming that it has over 5,000 workers at
the warehouse, including about 3,500 temporary workers, some seasonal
and some hired due to the increased workload caused by the increase in
online shopping during the pandemic.
After three
days of hearings from December 18 to 21, involving the
company, the union and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an
agreement was reached on which types of workers at the warehouse would
be allowed to take part in the unionization vote, although news reports
do not specify which workers will be eligible. Whether
the vote will be by mail or in-person has yet to be agreed to. The NLRB
has yet to set the date for the vote, but news agencies report that it
is expected early next year.
The Alabama warehouse
would be the first Amazon operation in the
U.S. to be unionized. Amazon is well-known in the U.S. and Canada as a
fiercely anti-union employer.
 An
organizing website operated by the union, where workers can sign the
authorization, outlines some of the workers' demands, including the
right to negotiate "working conditions including items such as safety
standards, training, breaks, pay, benefits, and other important issues
that would make our workplace better" and points out, "The
record on Amazon's dehumanizing working conditions is well established.
Nineteen workers have died at Amazon facilities since 2013. We face
outrageous work quotas that have left many with illnesses and lifetime
injuries [...] All workers deserve to be treated with dignity and
respect -- and that includes Amazon's workers as well. Unfortunately,
Amazon -- controlled by the wealthiest person on the planet -- has a
well-documented history of mistreating and dehumanizing its workforce."
One of the current concerns is that Amazon is not providing
adequate
personal protective equipment or providing for the workers' safety
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On September 30, NBC
reported that 40 Amazon workers from 23
facilities in the U.S. reported that many of the safety measures that Amazon had
enacted at the start of the pandemic were no longer active or difficult
to enforce, and that the company was not providing its workers with
enough information for them to make informed decisions about the
safety of their workplaces.
Amazon workers
themselves compiled data on COVID-19 cases reported
that showed that up to the end of September there had been at least
2,038 positive cases. Amazon confirmed NBC News' research that there
had been 10 deaths of Amazon workers.
September
14, 2020. Warehouse Workers Centre contingent at demonstration in
support of migrant workers and students.
The Warehouse Workers Centre (WWC) in Brampton, Ontario,
founded in January this year with support from the Canadian Union of
Postal Workers,
issued a statement in early December which included the following
demands:
"Essential workers need essential
protections NOW.
"We at the Warehouse Workers Centre
believe that the safety of
workers is paramount, and is integral to the well-being of our
province. We, the workers, are the backbone of society. Our working
conditions and pay must reflect that.
"Pandemic
pay: The Warehouse Workers Centre demands that employers
either institute, or reinstate, a wage premium of $2/hr for all workers
currently deemed essential. Furthermore, we demand that this premium be
made permanent.
 "The
second wave is here, so where's the second wave of pandemic pay?
Companies like Amazon and Loblaws announced a COVID premium of $2 per
hour in March, but then took it away the first chance they got. Now the
second wave is upon us and essential workers, in warehousing,
logistics, e-commerce, and beyond, continue to be put
at risk but are not being paid what they deserve. The majority of
workers in the warehousing sector are racialized workers who are
already fighting the pay inequity and undervaluing of their work.
"Health and safety in the workplace: The Warehouse Workers
Centre
demands that all employers implement the necessary safety precautions
to ensure that workers are safe from COVID-19. Employers must respond
to the needs of workers, including access to PPE, physical distancing,
staggered shift and break times.
"Provincial paid
sick days: We join with the Decent Work and Health
Network and call on the Federal and Ontario government to implement
permanent paid sick days for all:
"1. Require
employers to provide at least seven fully-paid days of emergency leave
on a permanent basis.
"2. Require employers to
automatically provide an additional 14 days
of fully-paid emergency leave during public health emergencies.
"3. Ensure paid emergency leave is available to all workers
regardless of employment status, immigration status, or workplace size.
"4. Prohibit employers from requiring sick notes.
"5.
Prevent the introduction of any new barriers to accessing paid
emergency leave.
"6. Ensure paid emergency leave
covers personal sickness, injury, or
emergency, as well as family emergencies and responsibilities.
"Better access to COVID testing: We need greater access to
COVID
testing amongst essential workers in warehousing, logistics and
e-commerce. Employers must provide paid leave to workers who require
testing.
"Real structural changes need to be put
in place immediately to
ensure greater health and safety for warehouse workers and our
communities at large. Workers' rights = public health!"
For
an in-depth look at the fight of gig workers for their rights in
the U.S., see the December
3, 2020 issue of Workers'
Forum on
California Proposition 22.
This article was published in
Number 86 - December
29, 2020
Article Link:
The Fight to Uphold the Dignity of Labour: Just Demands of Amazon Workers
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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