Following Amazon employees union victory at a Staten Island warehouse, the company has fired more than half a dozen senior managers at the facility. The firings are viewed by some employees as a direct response to the successful vote by staff to join the Amazon Labor Union.
The New York Times reports that following Amazon employees’ successful union vote at a Staten Island facility, the company has informed at least six senior managers at the warehouse that they are being fired.
Alma Delia Garcia of New York Communities for Change speaks during a protest organized by New York Communities for Change and Make the Road New York in front of the Jeff Bezos’ Manhattan residence in New York on December 02, 2020. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
The firings occurred outside the company’s typical employee review cycle and were seen by the managers and other employees as retaliation for the victory by the Amazon Labor Union. Workers at the warehouse voted by a wide margin to form the first union at the company in the U.S.
Many of the managers reportedly were responsible for enacting the company’s response to the unionization effort. Several were Amazon veterans with over six years of experience. Workers who voted in support of the union complained that the company’s health and safety protocols were not sufficient and did not fulfill coronavirus guidelines.
Others claimed to have repetitive strain injuries that were overlooked and that the company pushed them too hard to meet performance targets, often cutting lunch breaks and time off as a result. Many claimed that the pay at the warehouse, starting at $18 per hour for full-time employees, was also not sufficient to live in New York City.
An Amazon spokesperson told the New York Times that the company made changes to management following several weeks of evaluating aspects of the “operations and leadership” at the Staten Island facility. “Part of our culture at Amazon is to continually improve, and we believe it’s important to take time to review whether or not we’re doing the best we could be for our team,” a spokesperson said.
Read more at the New York Times here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com