Amazon warehouse workers at a facility in Staten Island, New York, have voted in favor of forming a union. It is the first time in Amazon's history that its employees have voted to unionize.
The newly-formed Amazon Labor Union was approved by a 2,654-2,131 vote. There are 67 contested ballots, but that is not enough to overturn the results of the election.
The unionization effort was spearheaded by Christian Smalls, a former employee at the warehouse. He was fired two years ago after protesting the company's health and safety protocols in response to the coronavirus pandemic and organizing a walkout at the facility.
A second group of Amazon employees at a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, is also trying to form a union. Workers rejected the effort last spring, but the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Amazon improperly interfered with the election and ordered a new vote.
The employees voted against the union for a second time, with 993 employees voting against the union compared to 875 who voted in favor of the move. The results have not been finalized, with 416 ballots being contested by Amazon and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union.
The NLRB will hold a hearing in the coming weeks to determine if the ballots should be opened and counted.