Workers at the new Bloomfield Amazon fulfillment center are joining together with the purpose of forming a union. The employees are working with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union to form their own union.
The workers have stated that Amazon is forcing workers to work 12-hour shifts for five or six days a week. Workers have also stated that the company has not carried out its promise to provide a shuttle service to get to and from the warehouse.
The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union published a report detailing the poor employment practices and anti-union activities of Amazon.
The report cites data that shows Amazon workers are needlessly killed or injured on the job, face poor working conditions, and are disciplined to the degree where they fear using the restroom due to the possibility of being reprimanded.
The report also cites Amazon’s union busting practices which includes funding anti-union videos for employees, hiring managers with experience busting unions, and hiring outside organizations to prevent the formation of Amazon unions.
The workers are standing in opposition to Amazon and are forming unions to improve the material conditions of their lives. The workers will need to continue their struggles within the workplace and forming a political organization capable of ending capitalist exploitation entirely.