In a vote last week, employees at an Amazon warehouse in Garner, N.C. voted 2,447 to 829 against joining an employee-led union, Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE), according to The New York Times and multiple media outlets. CAUSE, formed in 2022, is seeking longer lunch breaks, increased vacation time and starting wages of $30 per hour; the current pay range is $18 to $24, according to Amazon.
CAUSE has alleged that Amazon has engaged in anti-union activities, including kicking off-duty workers out of the building lobby who had intended to share the vote count online. “Amazon is flagrantly violating labor law right in front of the labor board,” said a statement on the CAUSE website. Despite these claims, the union has not indicated whether it will appeal the election results to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), but said it does plan to continue organizing efforts.
The loss is a setback for organized labor’s efforts to unionize Amazon facilities, which have seen some successes in recent months. Amazon workers in New York City voted to join the Teamsters union in a near-unanimous vote held in June 2024.
The union flexed its muscles during this past holiday season, striking seven fulfillment centers less than one week before Christmas 2024. One year prior, in December 2023, a judge ruled that Amazon had harassed employees seeking to unionize at two NYC facilities.
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