Happy Nice Mall

WASHINGTON — Days after warehouse workers in Staten Island challenged Amazon and successfully formed a labor union, President Biden On Wednesday, he threw his support behind the workers and defended their cause.

In his remarks at a national conference of unionized trade workers, Mr. Biden spoke directly to one of the most powerful companies in the world and defended the workers’ right to unionize. “The choice to join a union rests solely with workers,” he said in a speech at the North American Construction Unions national conference. “By the way, Amazon, here we are. Wristwatch.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president was only expressing his longstanding support for collective bargaining and unions.

“What she didn’t do was send a message that she or the US government would be directly involved or take any direct action in any of these efforts,” Ms Psaki said.

Still, the comments of Mr. Biden, who called himself “the most pro-union president” ever and long implied that he disapproved of the company’s efforts to deter workers from unionizing, were most frank about Amazon. Last year, Mr. Biden, support For warehouse workers trying to form a union at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama. At the time, however, the chairman did not address the company by name.

“Let me be really clear: It’s not up to me to decide whether anyone will join a union,” he said in a direct camera address posted on the White House’s Twitter page at the time. a print campaign He was pushed by pro-union groups to weigh in on the ride. “But let me be even clearer: That too cannot be decided by the employer.” workers there narrowly voted against forms a union. Amazon also said workers have the right to decide to unionize, but the National Labor Relations Board has filed a series of lawsuits saying the company improperly interfered with their right to do so. Amazon denies it.

The success of the union attempt at the Staten Island warehouse, the only Amazon fulfillment center in New York City, surprised many. Employees voted against 2,654, represented by the Amazon Labor Union, and 2,131, according to the National Labor Relations Board, giving the union more than 10 percent points.

Victory comes at a dangerous moment for the workers’ movement. On the contrary increased public approval for unions, high demand for workers and successful labor activityThe proportion of U.S. workers in unions fell to 10.3 percent last year, the lowest rate in decades.

critics — including some labor officers — say traditional unions don’t devote enough resources to organizing campaigns and often bet on the wrong fights.

Amazon is expected to aggressively contest the union’s win. “We are disappointed with the outcome of the Staten Island election because we believe it is best for our employees to have a direct relationship with the company,” said an unsigned statement on her corporate blog.

Amazon has experienced a hiring spree during the pandemic that has given employees a heightened sense of empowerment while fueling concerns about workplace safety. It currently has 1.6 million employees worldwide, but bothered by high turnover. A New York Times investigation Last year, it revealed how many of its problems at the Staten Island warehouse known as JFK8, including unintentional firings and very high wear and tear, are emblematic of the broader employment model of Amazon.

The National Labor Relations Board is taking cases in administrative and federal courts, which it says violates the worker’s right to organize. Amazon’s main reaction to the union’s win was that it believed the agency had lost its neutrality and was actively supporting the union rather than being an impartial arbiter.

But the agency said its actions against Amazon were consistent with Congress’ power to enforce workers’ rights.

Katie Rogers reported from Washington and Karen Weise from Seattle. Noam Scheiber Contributed from Chicago.