Amazon workers went on strike during the busiest part of the holiday season―and Amazon fought back with a vengeance, unlawfully docking hundreds of workers unpaid time off for time they were on strike.
And because Amazon’s faceless HR system automatically fires workers whose time off balance falls below zero, some workers were fired as a result of going on strike.
With the help of the Labor Force, Amazon Labor Union fought back and WON! Union stewards have successfully helped fired workers get reinstated, and The National Labor Relations Board ordered Amazon to restore the unlawfully docked time for all affected workers. Now we have to make sure Amazon follows through.
Here’s what’s happened so far:
In January, The Labor Force stood with hundreds of Amazon workers who Amazon retaliated against by unlawfully docking their unpaid time off for the time they spent on strike. Y’all made calls and wrote emails demanding that Amazon stop retaliating and restore workers’ time off balances.
Big tech giant Amazon has an automated system that automatically fires workers whose Unpaid Time Off (UPT) balances dip below zero. Because Amazon treated time spent on the picket lines against their UPT balances, hundreds of workers who participated in the week-long strike lost some of their time off balances.
A number of workers whose UPT fell below zero were fired by a computer program just because they went on strike. Others are now just one illness or family emergency away from automatic termination.
Amazon Labor Union fought back against this retaliation, and won. Union stewards accompanied fired workers to HR to demand their jobs back. Warehouse workers marched on the boss to demand the restoration of strikers’ UPT. And Labor Force members supported them from the outside with calls and emails to corporate headquarters, making sure that Amazon knew their customers were on the workers’ side.
As a result, all workers who were terminated because of this UPT issue are now back on the job! Not only that, but an NLRB judge just ruled that Amazon’s deductions and failure to reinstate UPT for strikers is unlawful. Amazon has been ordered to restore all UPT points for affected workers.
Now comes the hard part. Amazon Labor Union needs to hold Amazon accountable to that decision, and make sure that every worker gets their time off balances fully reinstated. With Amazon’s history of ignoring its legal commitments*, this will require some serious organizing. Amazon Labor Union is ready for it.
Here’s an excerpt from the union’s statement to Amazon management during the march on the boss:
“Now, we stand before you with one core demand: Comply with the court order. Return our UPT. Remove all Flex points. No delays. No excuses.
You have already wasted time and money trying to deny us our rights. Instead of dragging this fight out further, do the right thing. Follow the court’s decision, restore what was taken from us, and stop retaliating against workers for organizing.
We are not going anywhere. We will continue to fight until every worker gets back what they are owed. The choice is yours—comply now, or face continued pressure from a workforce that refuses to back down.”
Amazon workers deserve to strike without retaliation. Can you help Amazon Labor Union hold Amazon accountable with a donation to support their work at JFK8 and beyond?
In solidarity,
The Labor Force
Sources:
*https://bloomingtonian.com/2024/09/18/nlrb-issues-default-judgment-against-amazon-over-unlawful-off-duty-employee-access-policy/
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