Regardless of the outcome of the union election at the Besmo Operations Center next week, Amazon will inevitably face a labor movement crisis in the United States. This article from the micro-channel public number: Sina science and technology (ID: techsina) , Author: Zheng Jun from the bottom of Silicon Valley, head Picture from: Visual China
“If we had a union, Amazon would never dare to treat us like this.” At the income inequality hearing held by the U.S. Senate last week, Bates, a former female employee of the Besmo Operations Center< span class="text-remarks" label="Note">(Jennifer Bates) said.
Amazon welcomes general election
Just next week, the technology giant Amazon will usher in a major test in the company’s 27-year history: They are in Besmo, Alabama(Bessemer) ’s operational storage center BHM1 will announce the voting results of nearly 6,000 employees and formally decide whether to join the US Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union(RWDSU)< /span>.
In February of this year, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rejected Amazon’s efforts to obstruct the union’s vote, and the election was finally opened Green light. Voting has begun at the beginning of this month, and the results will be officially announced at the end of the month. In this last time, the labor union and Amazon are making sprint efforts, trying their best to win the votes of some workers whose positions have not yet been determined; this scene is very similar to the US presidential election.
According to the workers, from the workplace to the rest room and even the toilet, Amazon’s slogan “Reject the Union” is posted everywhere in the Besmo Operations Center. Amazon sends emails and text messages to workers to promote the many harms of the union. The personnel department even screened out workers who they thought might support the union, patiently did ideological work, and even privately agreed to find them a gold award.gold. Amazon’s Besmo Operations Center spends more than $10,000 on anti-union funds every day.
This election is an important milestone for both parties. If the Besmo workers decide to join the union, Amazon’s other more than 100 operation centers and 800,000 employees in the United States are likely to follow the example of joining the union and completely change the labor structure of Amazon in the United States. On the other hand, the US trade union organization will also usher in the biggest breakthrough victory of the past decade.
The Amazon warehouse union election in a small city has become the focus of attention throughout the United States, attracting continuous follow-up reports by the media. Even thousands of miles away in Los Angeles and New York, there were demonstrations in support of Besmo’s warehouse workers. Unions from all walks of life are supporting Besmo’s workers, including the superstars of the NFL and MLB.
U.S. President Biden gave a public speech in support of workers’ right to choose to join a union. Democratic Senator Sanders(Bernie Sanders) and Republican Senator Rubio (Marco Rubio), these two parliamentarians standing at the opposite ends of the political spectrum finally reached a consensus on the issue of supporting the union. Sanders even decided to go to Besmo to stand with the workers in protest against Amazon.
Why do public opinion and politicians support unions one-sidedly? This is a question of political correctness. On the one hand, there are union organizations that hold high the banner of protecting the interests of workers and guide the flow of thousands of votes. On the other hand, there are corporate giants with a market value of more than one trillion US dollars and whose bosses have become the world’s richest man. When it comes to issues of public opinion and votes, politicians must maintain their image of “making the masters for the people.” Moreover, both parties now regard blue-collar workers’ votes as the key to success or failure in future political elections.
Ravaged City Savior
Besmo is a small town in the southwestern suburbs of Birmingham, the largest city in Alabama, with a population of only 27,000, three-quarters of whom are of African descent. Before the middle of the last century, it used to be one of the steel bases in the United States, but with industrial upgrading and population transfer, Besmo has gradually become a dilapidated city.
Cities are dilapidated, economic depression, severe unemployment, and crime surge. In 2019, Besmo was also rated as the “Least Place to Live” in the US The median household income in this small city is less than US$30,000, and nearly 30% of people live below the American poverty line.. (According to US official standards, a family of four with an annual income of less than US$26,000 is considered poverty.)
But Amazon, the e-commerce giant, has taken a fancy to the convenient transportation conditions here. Besmo is on the edge of the most densely populated and economically prosperous metropolitan area of Birmingham in Alabama. In 2018, Amazon announced that it would invest 325 million US dollars here to build a new operation center covering an area of 74,000 square meters, which has solved thousands of jobs. Most workers are hourly workers who are paid per hour. As a result, Amazon received a local tax deduction of $3.3 million.
Last year’s new crown epidemic caused the US economy to shut down, retail was hit hard, and unemployment was serious, but it gave Amazon, which is already growing steadily, an opportunity for rapid development. Amazon has hired an additional 500,000 warehousing and logistics employees across the United States to meet the soaring business volume during the epidemic. The number of employees in the Besmo Center has rapidly increased to more than 5,800.
In 2018, Amazon raised the minimum wage for employees across the United States to $15 per hour. For Alabama, located in the southern United States, this is a good income level, which is more than twice the state’s legal minimum wage of $7.25/hour, and is also higher than the state’s median retail income of $13.36. Per hour, which is also higher than Wal-Mart’s local wage level.
Amazon’s aggressive propaganda for workers is also constantly emphasizing these: We have provided wages higher than industry standards, complete insurance benefits and career development space, and you don’t need to join a union at all. Choosing to join a union will only affect the growth opportunities of this operation center.
what exactly do workers want
So why the workersWhy join a union? Although it is not easy to have a job with a good salary in the economic depression, the workers in Besmo’s warehouse still have many dissatisfaction: they are engaged in monotonous mechanical and high-intensity work like robots every day, huge tasks formulated by algorithms The amount was overwhelmed. The overseers are keeping an eye on their workload at all times.
“If I have a chance to meet Bezos, I would like to ask him, have you ever thought about working in a warehouse sweating for 10 hours a day, and you can’t even go to the toilet?” An Amazon warehouse operation center worker Holding a slogan, said to the TV camera.
Workers complained to members of Congress: each shift worked 10 hours, with two breaks in between, 30 minutes each time; two toilets were allowed during working hours, each time no more than 15 minutes. The working place and resting place are too far away, in order to save time, they have to run to eat. If the rest period expires, they will be warned by the management or even expelled. This job is not guaranteed and may leave at any time.
Although the residents of Besmo need the job offered by Amazon, this job is also quite mobile, and many workers cannot withstand the high-intensity work and leave. They call this operation center a “sweatshop”, hoping to pressure Amazon to improve working conditions by joining a union.
After the outbreak last year, Amazon agreed to provide workers with a “dangerous work allowance” of US$2 per hour under pressure from public opinion, but it stopped after only two months. Workers believe that the epidemic is not over and that they are still taking the risk of contracting the virus and stick to work every day. Amazon has no reason to stop issuing this allowance.
It is impossible for workers to face Amazon’s requirements alone. The result is likely to be dismissed and unemployed. It is even more unrealistic to expect Amazon to increase costs by itself. To realize these demands, the only way to realize these demands can be through labor-management negotiations with Amazon through the power of the labor union. Trade union organizations have extensive experience in how to fight enterprises.
Strong trade union organization
The union organizations in the United States are very powerful. On the one hand, it is reflected in their direct guidance of hundreds of thousands of votes. Politicians usually dare not challenge them head-on. What’s more, both parties are currently fighting for blue-collar workers’ votes; On the one hand, it is reflected in the labor-management negotiation between them and the company, which is directly related to the company’s business operations and performance profits.
On the other hand, the average annual union fee paid by American workers is about US$400, which is equivalent to two and a half hours of income each month. Although in recent years there have been scandals of trade union leaders embezzling trade union funds to fill their own pockets, but it is even more undeniable that trade unions, through their own powerful mobilization forces, pressured enterprises in labor negotiations to bring tangible benefits to workers. This is impossible for workers to rely on individuals.
In the case of unsuccessful negotiations, unions will even resort to extreme measures such as strikes and protests to engage in endurance attrition wars with enterprises. Although workers will lose their wages due to strikes(the union will provide basic living allowances), in most cases the losses are heavy The enterprise was eventually forced to compromise and reach an agreement with the union. It is undeniable that the financial performance and work efficiency of enterprises with trade unions will be significantly affected.
In 2019, the American Federation of Automobile Workers (UAW) was unable to reach a new labor agreement with General Motors and organized 5 More than 10,000 workers went on a 40-day strike, which cost General Motors US$2 billion in loss of production shutdown. In the end, GM agreed to UAW’s salary increase request, and UAW also agreed to GM to close four poorly operated factories. Under the strong pressure of UAW for decades, the operating costs and efficiency of the Detroit top three are significantly lower than those of Japanese car companies.
This time, the American zero that Besmo workers want to joinThe sales, wholesale and department store union (RWDSU) has a history of more than 80 years. They currently have more than 60,000 members and have played against many corporate giants such as Coca-Cola, Walgreens, food giant Tyson Foods (Tyson Food) Repeated contests, organized many strikes and protests, and helped workers win paid holidays and labor insurance.
So what measures does Amazon have to deal with? U.S. e-commerce industry expert Burns (Jason Boyce) told Sina Technology, “If Amazon loses this round, they may directly Close this warehouse in Alabama and re-recruit employees. For giant companies like Amazon, they have a way to fight unions. If workers choose to form a union, Amazon would rather start again.” Burns knows Amazon very well. He is the author of the book (The Amazon Jungle).
Labor insurance is the key
After the outbreak of the new crown epidemic last year, home closures were implemented in various parts of the United States. Amazon’s online order business volume surged, and even a warehouse burst. The original two-day package was extended to more than one week. Amazon announced that it will recruit hundreds of thousands of new employees across the United States to meet new business needs; they even reached an agreement with Lyft to hire the latter’s contracted drivers to deliver their goods.
However, behind the rapid growth of this kind of business, Amazon’s labor conflicts are also constantly planning. Workers protested at multiple operation centers. They protested that Amazon did not provide protective equipment such as masks, disinfectants, protective clothing, etc. in the warehouse, and did not keep a sufficient safe distance. They even needed to be isolated when they developed symptoms or came into contact with patients. Under the circumstances, paid sick leave is also not provided.
In mid-March last year, workers at the JFK8 operation center in Staten Island, New York staged a protest outside the warehouse, demanding that Amazon perform deep disinfection of the warehouse and announce the specific infection epidemic. However, Amazon directly fired the leading workers who organized the protest on the grounds that they brought the risk of infection. At that time, the RWDSU union demonstrated at the Staten Island Operations Center, but because the workers did not join the union, RWDSU was unable to negotiate with Amazon on their behalf.
The exposure of public opinion and the involvement of the political circle finally made Amazon bow its head. On March 20, Sanders and other four Democratic senators wrote to Bezos; on March 26, the Attorney Generals of 14 states including New York, California wrote to Bezos again; requesting Amazon to provide employees with comprehensive protection against the epidemic Equipment and medical benefits.
Under heavy pressure, Bezos publicly promised to provide American employees with masks, disinfectants and other protective equipment, provide two weeks of paid sick leave for infected and quarantined employees, and provide front-line workers with a risk of US$2 per hour. Allowance (actually only issued for three months). According to data disclosed by Amazon at the end of last year, a total of more than 20,000 American workers have been diagnosed with the new crown.
On March 17, the U.S. Senate Budget Committee held a hearing on the crisis of income and wealth inequality. Bates, a warehouse worker in Besmo, attended the hearing. She introduced the details of the operation center and talked about many workers who were injured due to high-intensity work and lack of labor insurance, complaining that Amazon’s work intensity is too high and the pace is too fast. “If we had a union, Amazon would not dare to treat us like this.”
The most hated company
Although Amazon occupies more than 40% of the market share in the U.S. e-commerce industry, it has become the first choice for online shopping in the United States. Its market value has exceeded 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars, second only to Apple and Microsoft. The employment problem caused by the epidemic has been solved. But it is no exaggeration to say that Amazon is not only the most trusted company by American consumers, but also the least entertaining company.
Whether it is Seattle, where the headquarters are located, or the US federal government and Congress, whether it is the Democratic or Republican party, they don’t want to see Amazon. Although AmazonIt spends nearly US$20 million in government lobbying every year. It is the largest company in the US in political lobbying. However, they are still frequently criticized by the two parties and protested in their headquarters in Seattle. The Seattle City Council even passed a bill to ban Amazon’s political contributions in disguise from affecting the election of the city’s councillors.
Taxation is a key issue. Although Amazon is making a lot of money, their taxes are far lower than traditional companies of the same size. In 2017, even a penny of federal income tax was not paid.(previously loss tax credit), and also received tax relief of $789 million in 2018. Amazon is very good at using the local government’s investment promotion policies to strive for tax relief for its newly established operation center. In 2018, Amazon’s second headquarters investment plan attracted more than 200 city governments in the United States. Finally, it chose the surrounding cities of the political center and economic center of the United States.(distance Arlington, Virginia, and Long Island City, New York, not far from Washington, D.C., have received hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks linked to employment indicators.
Both parties have their own reasons for criticism. The Democrats criticized Amazon for being rich and unkind and not paying enough attention to worker welfare, while the Republicans criticized Amazon for causing a large number of bankruptcies in the physical retail industry and creating serious unemployment. With the gradual growth of online shopping in the past few years, the physical retail industry in the United States has been sorrowful, and hundreds of shopping malls have gone bankrupt and closed. Former President Trump has repeatedly publicly criticized Amazon for causing unemployment in the retail industry, and has also incited the hatred of Republican voters towards Amazon.
The new crown epidemic has made physical retail experience a bitter winter (except supermarkets), but it has brought new growth momentum to Amazon’s performance. Last year, Amazon’s sales exceeded 386.1 billion U.S. dollars, profits increased by 9.4 billion U.S. dollars, its stock price soared 76%, and Bezos’ personal wealth increased by 68 billion U.S. dollars. These figures make them even more targets of inequality in American income.
Trade unions welcome opportunities
A report by the Brookings Institution, a well-known American think tank, believes that Bezos’s personal new wealth during the epidemic is close to 70 billion US dollars, which is 38 times the hazard allowance that Amazon paid for nearly a million workers during the epidemic. Although Amazon’s profits increased by 84% last year, the salary increase for ordinary American employees was less than 7%. The Brookings Institution also compares Amazon with Costco, a chain of warehouse supermarkets that also insists on operating. Although Amazon provides a base salary of $15 an hour, it is still lower than Costco’s employee income level. Last year, Amazon’s new profits were 5.4 times the costs associated with their new epidemic, and Costco’s new profits were even lower than the new costs.
The new crown epidemic has exacerbated the gap between the rich and the poor in the United States, and has gradually changed Americans’ attitudes towards unions. A poll conducted by Gallup last September showed that 65% of Americans currently support unions, which is the highest level since 2003. Because many companies strongly oppose unions, the proportion of American workers participating in unions has dropped from 30% to 10% in the past half century. Companies like Wal-Mart have taken iron-fist measures to boycott unions for decades.
How vigilant is Wal-Mart towards unions? A Wal-Mart supermarket manager in the US revealed to Sina Technology that no matter which supermarket there is a union propaganda material, a special working group at Wal-Mart headquarters will arrive at the supermarket within 24 hours to carry out anti-union propaganda activities. They will conduct special training to educate workers on how to “see through the nature of trade unions.” In 2000, employees of the meat department of a Wal-Mart Texas supermarket decided to join the union, becoming the only Wal-Mart American supermarket to join the union. Half a month later, Wal-Mart directly cut off the meat business of this supermarket.
But during an economic recession, U.S. labor unions usually have opportunities for growth. Biden positioned himself as the “U.S. President who supports trade unions most”, adopted a series of policies in favor of trade unions, and chose the mayor of Boston, Wales, who was born in a trade union.(Marty Walsh) became the U.S. Secretary of Labor. In addition, Biden fired Robb (Perer Robb, nominated by Trump), the chief legal counsel of the U.S. Labor Relations Commission who opposed the union organization on the first day he took office./span>, this move was greatly appreciated by the trade unions. The committee subsequently approved the resolution of the Besmo union election. Biden later supported the Besmo workers’ speech, which was once again affirmed by the union organization.
In 1935, during the trade union movement during the Great Depression, the 74th Congress led by the Democratic Party passed the American Labor Relations Act(National Labor Relations Act) , established the right of American workers to organize and join trade unions. This time, the 117th US Congress is also preparing a series of bills to support trade unions, including the “Protection of Trade Union Rights Act” which has been passed by the House of Representatives (Pro Act)< /span>, intended to prevent employers from interfering with workers joining trade unions.
Regardless of the outcome of the union election at the Besmo Operations Center next week, Amazon will inevitably face a labor movement crisis in the United States. Inspired by Besmo’s worker activities, workers at two Amazon operations centers in Iowa are also actively planning to form a union. Some workers are seeking signature support, hoping to join the International Truck Drivers Federation (IBT) which has 1.3 million members in Canada and the United States. According to the US labor law, union elections must be held if 30% of the workers’ signature support is obtained.
This article is from WeChat official account:Sina Technology (ID: techsina)< span class = "text-remarks">, author: Zheng Jun from the bottom of Silicon Valley