Home » Employment News » Amazon workers in New York accuse the company of retaliatory firings

Amazon workers in New York accuse the company of retaliatory firings

By Nagasunder in Employment News, posted April 26, 2022

Amazon is being accused of firing four workers because they "supported a labor organization."

The claims come from Amazonians United, an independent group of Amazon employees, who say the e-commerce giant fired four members of staff in Queens.

On Thursday, April 14th, the group filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that the company fired the workers for "protesting terms and conditions of employment."

The group also said that Amazon made the move to "discourage union activities."

Workers at Amazon's Long Island City and Woodland warehouses staged a walkout in March to demand a $3-per-hour raise and the reinstatement of their 20-minute rest breaks.

A Motherboard report on the protest said the workers were paid between $15.75 and $17.25 per hour, and Amazon had significantly lowered their rest breaks from 20 to 15 minutes.

Workers at the Queen's facilities also signed a petition in December calling for better inclement weather policies and the right to keep their phones with them in case of an emergency.

Amazonians United is a labor organization that fights for better policies that benefit workers without being an official union.

It has previously successfully fought for workplace policy changes and pay raises. In this case, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) must still review the group's complaint before deciding whether it has merit.

The NLRB recently persuaded a judge to order Amazon to reinstate Staten Island warehouse worker Gerald Bryson.

The judge agreed with the labor board's argument that Bryson was fired in retaliation for his participation in a COVID-19 safety protest in 2020.

Source: Yahoo Finance

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