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A federal judge has ordered Amazon to stop its anti-union tactics against staff who are engaged in employee activism.
However, campaigners have lost a case to reinstate a member of staff allegedly sacked for their role in union activity.
The National Labor Relations Board brought the case to court in March.
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It sought the rehire of a fired worker who was active in unionizing a warehouse on Staten Island, New York.
The agency said the firing of the former employee, Gerald Bryson, was illegal and would inhibit further organizing.
It claimed that not reinstating Bryson would lead workers to think that the agency would be unable to safeguard their labor rights under federal law.
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On Friday, November 18, US District Judge Diane Gujarati ruled there was "reasonable cause" to conclude Amazon engaged in an unfair labor practice by terminating Bryson.
She issued a cease-and-desist order, which orders the e-commerce giant not to retaliate against workers who are involved in workplace activism.
Gujarati, however, rejected the agency's plea to reinstate Bryson.
She found that the NLRB failed to produce proof that Bryson's firing significantly impacted employees or Amazon Labor Union organizing efforts.
In March, the group won the first-ever labor victory at an Amazon warehouse in the US.
Gujarati also highlighted in her ruling that Bryson was sacked before the union's formation, separating this case from others where there was a delay in organizing support after the firing of a union activist.
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Bryson was fired in April 2020, just weeks after protesting workplace conditions during the initial days of the pandemic.
While off the job during a second protest, he got into an argument with another employee
Amazon conducted its own probe into the incident and fired Bryson due to a breach of the company's vulgar-language policy.
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The firm denies that the termination was related to organizational attempts.
Bryson filed a lawsuit with the NLRB shortly after being removed.
Earlier this year, an administrative law judge ruled that the company launched a "skewed investigation" into the issue in order to blame Bryson.
Source: ABC News
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