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Dave Jamieson

@jamieson

18 Mar

When I was in Alabama I hung out with a guy who’d driven from Oregon just to help the union’s Amazon campaign. No arrangement, just showed up. He volunteered his video skills then was hired. There’s a lot of that — just an eagerness to pitch in from all over. Really something.

There were volunteers who came down from Boston as well. No arrangement. They just asked how they can help. Organizers took them out to lunch, probably to check their motives. Then they let them help. Knock on doors, pass out fliers at the ballgame. It is a unique thing happening

I think quite a few unions would not have let these folks into the hall, let alone sent them out to talk to people in the community about the union. The organizers seemed genuinely appreciative of the solidarity, and wanted to put the energy to good use.

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Dave Jamieson

@jamieson

15 Mar

I just spent three days in Bessemer AL where the Amazon union election is happening. There’s a ton of interest in this election -- the biggest in ~20 years -- so I want to share some observations and let you all know where things stand. (thread)

This is an unusually long 7-week mail-in election for 5,800 Amazon workers, with two weeks left to go. Organizers expect maybe 40% participation. Back of the napkin suggests thousands of workers still have ballots out there, hence the hard campaigning on both sides

Union got 3000+ cards signed ahead of the election, but organizers acknowledge Amazon’s anti-union campaign surely turned some of those into 'no' votes. Amazon probably benefited from that pressure especially in the earlier voting.

Read 9 tweets

Dave Jamieson

@jamieson

7 Mar

@RWDSU

I’ve seen a bunch of viral tweets about boycotting Amazon in solidarity with the warehouse workers in Alabama. To be clear, the union involved in the election @RWDSU has NOT called for a boycott and has nothing to do with this, a spokesperson confirms.

Boycotts are serious business. They are carefully deliberated within unions. Less so on Twitter!

The pro-union Amazon workers are not trying to inflict economic pain on their employer. They’re trying to win a union election. Big difference. An outside boycott could muddy the messaging and open up a bunch of unknowns. If I were part of the union effort I wouldn’t like this.

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Dave Jamieson

@jamieson

5 Feb

BREAKING: The labor board has denied Amazon's request to stop the union election from going forward at its Alabama warehouse. Ballots are scheduled to go out in the mail Monday morning. This thing is on.

Amazon asked the board to review its case arguing that the election should happen in-person *during a full-blown pandemic*. In a two-sentence order the board said it found "no substantial issues warranting review." Amazon's motion to stay also denied.

Oof. Even two GOP members of the board shot down Amazon here, essentially saying there's no good reason for an in-person vote in this case. That's got to sting.

Read 5 tweets

Dave Jamieson

@jamieson

3 Feb

In a WaPo story yesterday, the president of the union organizing Amazon’s warehouse in Alabama said they’ve gathered more than 3,000 union cards there. That figure has made some folks I've talked to queasy — and others optimistic — and it’s worth explaining why.

First off, that’s a big number! Having 3,000+ Amazon workers at a single warehouse sign union cards was tough to imagine not long ago. It’s a sign of real strength for the union, RWDSU. The concern is the size of the bargaining unit.

The NLRB has given the green light for an election involving about 6,000 Amazon workers. You need to win a simple majority of votes cast. If those 3,000+ come out for the union, the union wins. Problem is, employers always scare off some of the workers who signed cards.

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Dave Jamieson

@jamieson

21 Jan

NEW: White House official confirmed for me that Joe Biden just fired Peter Robb after he refused to resign as NLRB general counsel.

For those who haven't been following, this sets a new precedent. Unions wanted Robb gone immediately -- they think he's that bad -- but the gen counsel typically serves out their full 4-year term even when it spills into a new presidency. Background here: huffpost.com/entry/joe-bide…

@ScabbyTheRat

Robb is a long-time mgmt-side attorney who helped break the famous PATCO strike. As gen counsel he drove unions crazy, getting McDonald's a friendly settlement in a big Fight for $15 case, going after 'neutrality' agreements, and even picking a fight with @ScabbyTheRat

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