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Amazon Illegally Fired NYC Union Organizer, Labor Board Says (1) [1]
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Date: 2023-08
NLRB prosecutors have found that Amazon.com Inc. illegally fired a worker for his role in the campaign to unionize a New York Amazon warehouse and are planning to file complaints against the company.
The unfair labor practice charges stem from the firing of Amazon Labor Union organizer Pasquale Cioffi, whom the union said was crucial to its historic win at Amazon’s JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y., in April 2022. The NLRB certified the union’s win in January over the company’s objections.
NLRB prosecutors found merit to ALU’s allegations of unlawful retaliation against Cioffi and plan to file a complaint against the e-commerce giant, according to agency documents shared with Bloomberg Law Tuesday.
Cioffi was fired in June 2022 for “arguing with a manager about mistreatment of workers,” the union tweeted at the time.
According to the ULP charges filed by the union, Cioffi has been “subjected to a series of discriminatory actions to retaliate against him for his union activities.”
Cioffi “was a big reason why we won at JFK,” Seth Goldstein, partner at Julien Mirer Singla & Goldstein PLLC and a lawyer for ALU, told Bloomberg Law Tuesday. “The company itself admitted that he turned 500 votes from ‘no’ to ‘yes’. That’s why he was fired.”
The ALU called the merit finding “historic” in a statement to Bloomberg Law.
“This landmark victory for workers’ rights demonstrates the ALU’s unwavering commitment to protecting its members’ rights and ensuring that they are fully and properly respected and sake from any wrongdoings by Amazon,” the union said.
Amazon spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis said in a statement late Tuesday that Cioffi’s firing had nothing to do with his support of the union.
“Mr. Cioffi was terminated for slapping and directing a derogatory comment at a female manager,” Paradis said. “This inappropriate behavior is absolutely not tolerated at Amazon.”
An NLRB spokesperson didn’t immediately provide a comment when reached Tuesday.
Complaints issued by NLRB regional directors are considered by agency judges, whose rulings can be appealed to labor board members in Washington. Appeals from the NLRB go to federal court.
Since the win at JFK8, the union lost another representation election in Staten Island and one in Albany, N.Y. The union then withdrew an election petition at a facility in Moreno Valley, Calif., in October 2022, saying the company is attempting to stifle organizing across the nation.
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[1] Url:
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/amazon-illegally-fired-nyc-union-organizer-labor-board-says
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