CINCINNATI — Amazon workers at the CVG Airport Air Hub in Hebron, alongside the Teamsters Organizing Committee, are accusing Amazon of violating their rights — and they aren’t backing down.
This week, Amazon will be forced to answer to allegations of union busting and workplace retaliation. We have been reporting on the accusations from workers at the KCVG air hub for months.
On Monday, the National Labor Rights Board (NLRB) held a hearing on unfair labor practice charges filed against Amazon by CVG Amazon workers.
According to workers, Amazon’s violations include a range of intimidation tactics to try and stop them from forming a union.
“When KCVG workers hand out union material or try to talk to our co-workers about organizing, Amazon tells us that we aren’t allowed to do that, that’s against the law. When KCVG workers refuse to back down and continue to exercise our right to organize, Amazon threatened to call the police and issue disciplinary action against us, that’s also against the law,” said CVG Amazon worker Riss Krull.
Before the hearing began at the NLRB offices, workers and Teamsters Local 89 held a press conference in front of the John Weld Peck Federal Building in downtown Cincinnati.
“We’re here outside of the National Labor Rights Board Region 9 office to demand justice because Amazon has repeatedly broken the law to stop us from unionizing,” said Krull.
At 1 p.m. Monday, the hearing against Amazon’s labor rights violations began, but this isn’t anything new according to workers.
“Two years ago, Amazon workers at KCVG organized and recognized the need to change our workplace and began organizing to form an Amazon KCVG labor union,” said Marcio Rodriguez, an Amazon CVG organizing committee member.
Amazon CVG workers have partnered with Teamsters in their efforts to unionize. Workers have said if they are going to take on one of the world’s largest companies, they are going to need the largest union organizers.
In late July, workers went on strike against these same “illegal and unfair labor practices.” They claimed Amazon has made CVG a “toxic” place to work where employees are “harassed and targeted.”
“They’re only looking out for their shareholders, they don’t care about workers, we're just a number to them,” said Zach Neeley, a CVG Amazon worker.
Workers also claim that Amazon has hired “union busters” to harass employees trying to unionize.
Citing union busters telling workers they are not allowed to share pro-union literature, threatening to discipline union supporters and illegally surveilling workers engaged in union activity.
We reached out to Amazon about these allegations and this week's hearing, they replied with the following statement from spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis:
"Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union. They always have. We favor opportunities for each person to be respected and valued as an individual, and to have their unique voice heard by working directly with our team. The fact is, Amazon already offers what many unions are requesting: competitive pay, health benefits on day one, and opportunities for career growth. We look forward to working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work."
CVG Amazon employees say this is not true, and they will continue to fight until they have a fair union contract.
“No matter what it takes, we’re gonna win this fight and organize Amazon at KCVG,” Neeley said.
The NLRB hearing against Amazon is expected to last through the week. WCPO 9 will continue to follow this case and provide an update when a decision is made.
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