The first union representation in the US Amazon site

The employees of the online mail company Amazon voted to create union representation in the group in the United States of America. According to Friday’s count, employees of the Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, voted 2,654 to 2,131. For years, Amazon opposed the formation of unions.

So far it hasn’t worked

So far, no Amazon subsidiary in the US has been able to form a consortium. In April of last year, the first such attempt at a logistics center in Bessemer, Alabama failed. The vast majority of employees voted against employee representation.

In November, however, the NLRB upheld an appeal by a union that accused Amazon of improper influence and rule violations. The result of the vote was therefore annulled and a new vote was decided.

Historic premiere

But in Bessemer, the majority will likely be missed again, as it became clear on Thursday. However, at Camp JFK8 on Staten Island, there was now a majority—and with it a historical precedent.

Amazon is under fire in the US for its working conditions. Trade unions and politicians criticize that employees of the group founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos are subjected to high work pressure and constant surveillance. In Germany, the Verdi union has been fighting for years to ensure that Amazon employees get a collective agreement and are paid according to tariffs on retail and mail orders.