The retail, wholesale and department store union said Thursday that a union organizer fired by Amazon was reinstated by the company after filing a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
FILE – The logo of Amazon is displayed on September 6, 2012 in Santa Monica, Calif. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store union said Thursday, June 15, 2023, that a union organizer who was fired by Amazon was reinstated by the company. She then filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. (AP Photo/Reid Saxon, File)
The Associated Press
According to the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a union organizer who was fired by Amazon was reinstated by the company after filing a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
The union said earlier this month that Jennifer Bates, who also testified before a Senate committee at a hearing on income inequality, was terminated because of injuries she suffered while working at an Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama. I went. The labor group also said that Amazon refused to make workplace adjustments for Bates, who was outspoken about workplace safety issues at the company.
“If there’s a lesson to be learned it’s that Amazon employees everywhere today now know that when you’re attacked, you have to stand up and fight back, because when we fight back, frankly, we Let’s win!” Bates said in a prepared statement issued by the union.
Meanwhile, union president Stuart Appelbaum accused the e-commerce giant of trying to strangle “one of the most outspoken leaders of the contemporary labor movement.”
“Jennifer made it clear that despite the company’s extraordinary power and resources, she will not be silenced — and neither will we,” he said.
An Amazon spokeswoman said during a review of the appeal, the company determined that Bates had failed to respond to multiple requests for information about her leave. But the spokeswoman said there were things the company could have done better to ensure Bates had clarity on what was required – which is why she is being reinstated. The company said it also encouraged her to file an appeal.
“After a thorough review of his case, the decision was made to reinstate him,” said Mary Kate Paradis, a spokeswoman for Amazon. “We are pleased that our appeals process continues to work as designed.”
The RWDSU has long been an enemy of Amazon, which has been attempting to drive organized labor away from its vast network of warehouses. The company and union are still contesting the results of a union election held last year in Bessemer, Alabama, that is still too close to call with 416 challenged ballots still awaiting adjudication.
Amazon said Bates would be reinstated with backpay, as would any employee in a similar position.
