Amazon Warehouse Workers Reject Union Bid in North Carolina
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Amazon.com Inc. workers at a warehouse in North Carolina overwhelmingly rejected union representation, marking a victory for the company’s efforts to prevent its blue collar workforce from organizing.
Almost 75% of the votes cast were against unionization at the facility in the Raleigh suburb of Garner, the upstart Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment union said on its website Feb. 15. The warehouse employs about 4,700 people.
“We’re glad that our team in Garner was able to have their voices heard, and that they chose to keep a direct relationship with Amazon,” Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said Feb. 15 in an emailed statement. “We look forward to continuing to make this a great place to work together, and to supporting our teammates as they build their futures with us.”
Amazon ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America, No. 12 on the private carriers list and No. 1 on the global freight TT50.
The @amazoncause workers led a righteous fight against Amazon but fell short — this time. But in waging this battle, they taught us all important lessons.
My article in @thenation https://t.co/JGT8JPlUXR — Jonathan Rosenblum (@jonathan4212) February 17, 2025
Hourly pay at Garner starts at $18.50, according to Amazon. Union organizers rallied around demands for $30 an hour and longer breaks.
A 15-year hiring spree has made Amazon a tempting target for unions eager to claw back some of their bargaining power. Forty years ago, more than one in five U.S. workers belonged to a union — twice as many as now. Amazon’s growth in transportation and warehousing has undermined one of organized labor’s remaining private sector footholds, prompting the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and other unions to target the company.
Labor organizing is particularly difficult in North Carolina, which had the lowest union membership rate in the U.S. last year at 2.4%, well below the national average of 9.9%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“This is only the beginning and we are building momentum in this struggle against exploitation,” CAUSE organizers said in an emailed statement. “We will continue to organize because over half of Amazon employees are still struggling with food and housing insecurity. We will continue organizing because we deserve a living wage and we work for a multibillion-dollar corporation.”
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The outcome is unlikely to be the last word because both sides can contest the results. The National Labor Relations Board didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
Amazon prevailed in two union elections at a facility in Bessemer, Ala., beginning in 2021. But an NLRB judge has ruled a third election should be held due to allegations of company misconduct, which Amazon has denied.
Last month, workers at an Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market in Philadelphia voted to be represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers union.
