The National Labor Relations Board is showing how serious it is about enforcing violations of unfair labor practices across the country.
In a notable and far reaching agreement, the NLRB will force Amazon to notify all of their workers that they have the right to discuss, distribute, and engage in organizing activities at all of their worksites without the fear of intimidation or harassment.
The case stems from six unfair labor practice charges made by Amazon workers in Chicago and New York. Workers at these sites were fired or harassed for sharing information on labor rights and unionization.
In response, the NRLB has reached an agreement that will force Amazon to notify their employees of their rights, including notices in all workplaces, on their employee app, and email notifications to all employees who have worked for the company since March 22 of this year - more than a million current and former employees. Amazon is currently the second largest private employer in the country after Walmart.
Part of the notice reads: “WE WILL NOT tell you that you cannot be on our property, or that you need to leave our property 15-minutes after the end of your shift, or threaten you with discipline or that we will call the police, when you are exercising your right to engage in union or protected concerted activities by talking to your co-workers in exterior non-work areas during non-work time.”
“This settlement agreement provides a crucial commitment from Amazon to millions of its workers across the United States that it will not interfere with their right to act collectively to improve their workplace by forming a union or taking other collective action,” stated the NLRB’s general counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, on Thursday. “Whether a company has 10 employees or a million employees, it must abide by the National Labor Relations Act.”