A group of Amazon workers in Durham launched a campaign on Monday to form an independent union with the aim of improving working conditions. Labor conditions at the company's local facilities.
The movement, led by the organization Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE), seeks to drive significant change in employee rights and benefits.
“We are launching a campaign to start unions in all the Amazons of Durham. We already have organizing committees within all the facilities,” explained Ítalo Medelius, secretary of the organization's Executive Board. Enlace Latino NC .
The launch event was attended by around 50 workers and Nathan Baker, a member of the city's City Council.
“Unions are truly our only way, our best tool to fight the unprecedented level of inequality we are experiencing in our state and our country,” Baker told Enlace Latino NC .
The councillor also addressed the workers, letting them know that “the city of Durham supports you in your fight.” “What is your salary? It should be higher. How many days of leave do you have? You should have more. You deserve better,” he added.
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They demand a salary increase and better working conditions
Medelius described the difficult conditions that employees face inside Amazon warehouses.
“A couple of months ago at one of the Durham facilities, a pregnant woman fainted in the middle of her shift and an ambulance had to be called. So there are quite a few safety issues inside the facilities,” he said.
“In the summers there aren’t even fans. Working conditions are very poor compared to what we should have in the United States,” he added.
Furthermore, he denounced that the payment It does not correspond to the effort made.
“The pay is very low compared to the type of work we do. For example, UPS, which is very similar to what we do at Amazon, starts at $25 an hour, while at Amazon we start at $18,” he stated.
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Impact on the Latin community
The union leader also pointed to a racial and linguistic component within the problem.
“Most of the workers are Latinos, African Americans, and immigrant refugees,” he said.
As he explained, Amazon It uses an identification system that classifies workers with blue or white cards, the latter being temporary and with fewer rights and benefits.
"The white card has fewer rights than the blue card. In other words, if you have the white card, you're a..." temporary worker “And they can kick you out at any time,” Medelius said. “We’ve noticed that most people with white IDs are Latino.”
Jorge Meza Barrera, the son of immigrants, works nights at RDU5 moving boxes around. His shift starts at 11:30 pm and ends around 3:30 am, and he decided to join the movement.
“This union’s most basic demand is that Amazon pay workers what they deserve,” he told Enlace Latino NC “I think Amazon can afford that, but instead, they’re investing their money in fighting us.”
Added to this are language barriers For some Latinos, this is because most training and human resources documents are only in English.
For George, the union movement is also an act of community and pride, especially among Latino workers.
“We just want a good life for our people,” he said firmly.
This is CAUSE's second campaign in the state, following a similar campaign launched in February at the Amazon plant in Garner, which the union did not win. Organizers continue to challenge the results before the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that the company coerced employees into voting against the union.
The group's goal, he added, is to collectively bargain with Amazon's headquarters in Seattle to obtain a labor contract that guarantees stability, security, and better conditions for all workers.
>>> For more information, visit the website amazoncause.com
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