Amazon warehouse workers in Garner to decide on union in election next month
Over six days next month, thousands of Amazon warehouse workers in southern Wake County will decide whether to organize in a rare election that positions a new independent union against one of the world’s biggest companies.
On Tuesday, the National Labor Relations Board determined that the group Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment had collected union authorization cards from at least 30% of the facility’s workforce — demonstrating enough employee interest to mandate a vote. The election will be held at the warehouse in Garner between Feb. 10 and Feb. 15.
The expansive fulfillment center south of Raleigh called RDU1 opened in August 2020 and covers 2 million square feet across four floors. In a recent NLRB filing, Amazon revealed the warehouse has 4,770 workers, making it one of Wake County’s five largest employers.
In January 2022, RDU1 item packers Ryan Brown and Mary Hill launched CAUSE, citing a need for stronger pandemic safety protections. This past Labor Day, the group began collecting authorization cards, formalizing what has been a contentious campaign.
CAUSE seeks to negotiate wages and working conditions on behalf of RDU1 workers. Its demands include $30-an-hour minimum starting wages and full-hour paid breaks during shifts, which can last more than 10 hours. Currently, Amazon says it pays U.S. customer fulfillment workers between $18.50 and $29.50 an hour, varying with location, at an average around $22.
While obtaining 30% of employee authorization cards is required to hold an election, CAUSE will need support from more than 50% of voters in next month’s election to be victorious.
“Our team inside, they’re fighting like hell to get us to the finish line,” Brown told The News & Observer in a phone interview Wednesday.
Last month, Brown was fired from RDU1 after Amazon determined he directed racist and derogatory language toward a manager. Brown, who continues to lead CAUSE, previously said his termination was part of the company’s “very brutal union-busting tactics.”
The second-largest U.S. private employer, Amazon staunchly opposes its workers unionizing. Despite multiple attempts, only one Amazon facility has successfully organized, the JFK8 warehouse in New York’s Staten Island. A prominent campaign at a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, is headed to a third election after the NLRB found the company violated labor law during the initial vote.
At RDU1, Amazon has held voluntary union education sessions, which CAUSE members describe as union-busting efforts. The company has also displayed anti-union posters around the facility, including one recent image that read “unions run their businesses with your money.”
North Carolina is a right-to-work state, which means no employee will have to pay union dues even if the union wins the election and negotiates their contracts.
In a statement to The News & Observer, Amazon highlighted that CAUSE “has never negotiated a union contract anywhere and has no experience representing workers or their interests.”
“We’ve always said that we want our employees to have their voices heard, and we hope and expect this process allows for that,” company spokesperson Eileen Hards said. “We believe our employees favor opportunities to have their unique voice heard by working directly with our team.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 8:18 AM.
