Luis Feliz Leon

July 18, 2024 Update: The union lost but came heartbreakingly close: 49.5 percent yes votes, just 28 votes short of winning recognition.

Three thousand warehouse workers are poised to become the first recognized Amazon union in Britain.

Workers at fulfillment center BHX4 in Coventry, central England, cast votes July 8-13 for the GMB union to negotiate over pay, hours, and working conditions with the Amazon bosses. The results are expected July 17.

Will Immigrant Workers Win Britain’s First Amazon Union?

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A large crowd of workers in a dark auditorium listen to a worker onstage. The speaker's back is to us and she wears a head scarf or hijab. Some in the audience are smiling, some look focused, and two in the front row are animatedly discussing something. The workers are racially diverse, including many who could be of South Asian or East African descent, as the article describes.

Amazon drivers at the DIL7 delivery station in Skokie, Illinois, struck June 26 over the company’s violations of federal labor laws.

A hundred drivers have organized with Teamsters Local 705 and are demanding that Amazon recognize and bargain with their union, after presenting cards signed by a majority of the workforce.

Illinois Amazon Drivers Strike, Demand Union Contract

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A young, racially diverse group of workers in "Amazon Strike" T-shirts huddles in a parking lot together, cheering. Some raise fists in the air. Behind them a Teamsters Local 705 truck is visible.

Amazon Labor Union members voted June 17 to affiliate with the Teamsters.

Workers cast 878 ballots at JFK8 Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island, N.Y. The tally broke down to 829 votes in favor of the affiliation and 14 against it; 10 ballots were spoiled.

Total turnout was 11 percent out of 8,000 workers. However, workers estimate the workforce has dipped to between 5,000 and 6,000 workers during the off-peak season.

Amazon Workers Affiliate with the Teamsters, Next Up Electing Top Officers

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A Black man in a Teamsters 804 jacket hands a leaflet to a Black woman in a black t-shirt

The Amazon Labor Union and the Teamsters have signed an affiliation agreement.

“Today is an historical day for labor in America as we now combine forces with one of the most powerful unions to take on Amazon together,” wrote ALU President Chris Smalls on Twitter, now called X. “We’re putting Amazon on notice that we are coming!”

Smalls and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien signed the agreement on June 3, according to a copy obtained by Labor Notes.

Teamsters and Amazon Labor Union Announce Affiliation, Member Vote Still Ahead

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Workers picket in front of an Amazon facility where delivery vehicles are visible. Some carry printed "Amazon workers on strike" signs with a Teamsters logo. Others wear satin jackets with a Teamsters logo, and one shouts into a bullhorn.

A no-holds-barred campaign by Mercedes management convinced a majority of workers at its Alabama factory complex to vote against forming a union.

In addition to anti-union videos and mailings, captive-audience meetings, firings, and an onslaught of pressure from state politicians and even a local pastor, the winning move was to fire the company’s U.S. CEO and replace him with a vice president who promised to care about the “team members.”

Alabama Mercedes Workers Lose First Union Election, Vow to Fight On

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A person in a T-shirt with the message "#RidinwithRico" and a Mercedes logo hat looks down at their phone. They are standing in front of a vending machine.

The aerospace giant Boeing locked out 125 firefighters across multiple facilities in Washington state May 4 after contract negotiations broke down.

“We want to be out there working and protecting the community of Boeing employees,” said firefighter Jon Riggsby, vice-president-elect of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local I-66. “But the company won’t allow us.”

Boeing firefighters are on hand for fueling, takeoffs, and landings. They also respond to any medical emergencies at company facilities in Seattle, Everett, Renton, Auburn, and Moses Lake.

Locked-Out Firefighters Picket Boeing

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Picketer in IAFF hoodie and ballcap stands on a sidewalk, speaking and gesturing. Over his shoulder is a printed picket sign that says "End the Boeing Lockout. Boeing Firefighters - Fighting for Your Safety!"

Michael Göbel, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, stepped down from his post yesterday, according to a video message that workers were shown.

In Relay Race to Organize the South, Volkswagen Workers Pass the Baton to Mercedes Workers

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