A video posted yesterday by Christian Small, President of the Amazon Labor Union, appears to show an Amazon HR manager collecting pro-union materials in a "break room" at the Staten Island warehouse and then throwing them away, which is a clear violation of Section 8 of the National Labor Relations Act.
Dammmmn TAMMY you just committed a Section 8a1 violation after being warned smh Amazon continues to break the laws days before the Election smh pic.twitter.com/qJDrrPs3XG
— Christian Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon) March 22, 2022
At Amazon, workers employed in different departments are identified by the color of the stripe on their vest. "Tammy" is assumed to be in HR because of her vest, which includes purple accents.
The NLRA strictly prohibits employers from the following activities in Section 8, paragraphs 1-5:
- Interfering with employees as they engage in concerted activity
- Discriminating against an employee to discourage membership in a union
- Refusing to bargain collectively with a representative of the employees
- Interfering with the formation or administration of a union
- Discriminating against a worker because they have filed unfair labor practice charges
Violations of these provisions are known as Unfair Labor Practices. Such violations are unfortunately common in the workplace, so it is essential to be equipped to spot them when they occur. Such employer actions can warrant a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the organization which enforces the NLRA.