Article author:
Associated Press
Haleluya Hadero
Amazon bans off-duty warehouse workers from company facilities, mobile organizers could hinder the union's drive Say there is.
Amazon's internal app prohibits employees from accessing buildings and other work areas before and after scheduled holidays and shifts. increase.
An Amazon spokesperson said the policy does not prohibit off-duty employees from engaging with colleagues in "non-working areas" outside the company building.
"Nothing is more important than employee safety and physical security of the building," said Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel. "This policy on building access applies to the interior and work areas of the building. It does not restrict employees' access to non-work areas outside the facility."
New Thursday The policy notice contains an off-duty rule that "does not discriminate" against employees seeking to form a union. However, the organizers say the policy itself will hinder their efforts to gain support from colleagues during the campaign.
"We come to work on our days off and interact with our colleagues in the break room," said Rev. Ryan Braun, an Amazon warehouse worker in Garner, North Carolina. Workplace after a worker wins on Staten Island, New York. Amazon warehouse workers voted for the union in April.
"This was a direct reaction to trying to stop organizing by the necessary means," Brown said.
Amazon previously banned employees from accessing non-work areas for more than 15 minutes before and after the shift. The company withdrew its policy in December, when it entered into a settlement with the National Labor Relations Commission to give workers more freedom to organize. Amazon also agreed to pay attention to workers in case they chose to "restore legitimate rules regarding access to off-duty employees" to the facility. A NLRB spokesman declined to comment on the company's new policy.
In a notification sent to employees, Amazon stated that it worked to create a safe environment for employees. "Part of this is to know who is in our building at any time, so we can quickly find and explain everyone in an emergency," the notice said.
