Federal labor officials say Amazon retaliated against more than 100 workers in Pontiac who protested poor working conditions.
The employees picketed Amazon on July 14 – a high-traffic shopping holiday called Prime Day – to protest unsafe working conditions: packages that are trip hazards after falling off conveyor belts, pulled muscles from lifting heavy packages and injuries from falling packages. They asked for safety improvements, better wages and paid sick days added to employee benefits.
Amazon officials deducted three hours’ time from their next checks, without employees’ knowledge, according to the complaint. Amazon allows employees to take an hour of unpaid time off with advance approval. An employee with an unpaid time-off deficit may use paid personal or vacation time – without that, they can face disciplinary action or even firing.
The formal complaint, signed by National Labor Relations Board Region 07 Acting Director Erikson C.N. Karmol, described Amazon’s actions as “interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed (by federal law).”
Amazon denies the allegation, issuing a statement that employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union and always have.”
As for the July 14 walkout, the company’s statement said, “We certainly respect the right of individuals to peacefully protest, but our focus remains on ensuring our employees and partners delivering for customers are safe and able to work freely. We’re grateful to them for their hard work and commitment. And with less than one percent of the employees at those facilities participating in that event, there was no significant impact to our operations.”
The 3.8 million-square-foot Amazon warehouse at 1300 Featherstone Road in Pontiac opened in September of 2021 and now has an estimated 3,000 employees.
At 8:50 a.m. on Jul 14, Alicia Ozier joined more than 100 workers who walked out to protest unfair labor practices and retaliatory actions.
Federal law protects the right of two or more employees to “take action for their mutual aid or protection regarding terms and conditions of employment” – whether or not they belong to a labor union. Such actions are called “protected concerted activity.”
“We were doing protected concerted activity for better working conditions, better pay – fair pay – and respect from Amazon,” Ozier said. She’s been an Amazon employee for nearly three years. In that time, she’s suffered a concussion and eye injury from packages tumbling out of soft-sided plastic totes used to load delivery trucks.
“Our biggest complaint is the safety aspect,” she said. “We touch these totes all day long … we have to lift them over our heads to get them into the truck."
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters helped the employees file the unfair labor practice complaint.
The surprise paycheck deduction is one thing, said Randy Korgan, director of the Teamsters’ national Amazon Division.
“The second issue is whether you’re negatively affected as a result of participating in a protected activity,” Korgan said. “Most workers don’t understand they have these rights. It’s clear that the people working at Amazon in Pontiac are aware of and exercise those rights.”
Korgan said that Amazon has millions of people working every day to move tens of millions of packages.
“A lot of people get hurt every day doing that, and for low wages,” he said. “There’s no career here.”
Board Decision-AMAZONCOM SERVICES LLC
Ozier said the best outcome of the current complaint will be for Amazon to correct payroll records, acknowledge that workers had a federally-protected right to protest unsafe working conditions, improve safety conditions, wages and add unpaid sick time to employee benefits.
The NLRB cannot impose fines on companies that violate employment laws. But the agency can take a company to court to reinstate wrongfully discharged employees, pay withheld wages and post worker-education notices about federal laws in multiple locations.
Amazon has until Monday, April 22, to respond to the complaint.
If the issue isn’t resolved, the NLRB has scheduled a hearing before an administrative law judge at 10 a.m. Monday, July 8, at the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building, 477 Michigan Ave. in Detroit.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been clarified to reflect that the July 14 walkout to protest unfair labor practices and retaliatory actions.
