The Teamsters Union is working to organize and unionize more Amazon buildings. This comes after they successfully organized two different warehouses and several smaller direct service providers (DSPs) for the company. The first success was in the Staten Island Amazon warehouse. The employees voted to form a union in 2022 and that was called the Amazon Labor Union. Eventually, they connected themselves to the Teamsters. The second major success that the Teamsters are claiming occurred in an air facility in San Bernadino, California. However, some suggest that the Teamsters cannot actually claim victory over the San Bernadino office. This is because the workers of the facility did not have an authorized vote per the National Labor Relations Board, according to Amazon.

The labor law in effect today is quite complicated and leaves the situation in a sticky place.

According to sources, the vote that actually occurred at the San Bernadino location was what is known as a “card check.” In this instance, a majority of the employees stated they are interested in unionizing under the Teamsters. They let this be known by submitting a written statement, on a card. This, according to Amazon, is not sufficient and does not equate to the employees voting to unionize.

Teamsters and Amazon are now at odds over the disputing views of the vote.

The Teamsters released a statement celebrating the so-called victory. They said, “Over 1,000 Amazon workers at the company’s KSBD air hub in Southern California have formed a union with the Teamsters and demanded union recognition.” They went on to say how this location is a crucial piece in Amazon’s network. It is the largest air facility on the West Coast. However, Amazon denies that any vote ever even took place, stating the card check was not a proper vote. Eileen Hards, a spokeswoman for Amazon said very directly to media outlets, “There has been no vote or anything taken… There’s been no certified vote.”

If the case is brought to the National Labor Relations Board, many expect a previous case to set precedent.

The case that people expect to affect this situation is the Cemex Construction Materials Pacific union matter. A decision was made in this case in August 2023 and is referred to as “a game changer for union organizing.” Essentially, the decision states that if a facility organizes to form a union by means of a card check rather than the more common secret ballot election method, the company backing them must do one of two things. The first thing they can do is recognize and bargain with the union, meaning they view the vote as legitimate. The second thing they can do is ask for an RM petition, which would be a second-level polling of the rank.

Either way, it determined that a card check vote is legitimate. This means many expect the NLRB to determine Amazon’s claims of a false vote or no vote as inaccurate, ultimately siding with the Teamsters and the Amazon employees.