
Esther Ritchin is a student at Harvard Law School.
Happy Valentine’s day! In today’s news and commentary, North Carolina Amazon warehouse workers hold a union election, and Trump nominates an Amazon alum to lead OSHA.
Workers at an Amazon warehouse just outside Raleigh, North Carolina, are currently holding a union election, with voting taking place this week. If the vote succeeds, the warehouse would be the second Amazon warehouse to unionize, after a 2022 yes vote at a union drive in Staten Island, a vote that still has yet to result in a contract. The election also comes on the heels of a successful union drive at a Whole Foods in Philadelphia, a grocery store chain owned by Amazon. This movement, Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE), is spearheaded by Reverend Ryan Brown, who was inspired to organize after his mistreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign faces many obstacles, including retaliation and anti-union marketing from Amazon, the company’s history of severe tactics in the wake of a union vote (including their recent shuttering of Canadian warehouses), and a newly destabilized NLRB.
Donald Trump has nominated David Keeling to lead OSHA. Keeling has been a safety executive at both UPS and Amazon, including the director of global road and transportation safety at Amazon. The nomination comes amidst a continual wave of reports of Amazon safety violations and complaints of disregard for worker health and safety, such as delivery drivers being forced to pee in bottles, long hours with strenuous physical work and minimal breaks, and continual prioritization of profits over health and human safety.
Daily News & Commentary
Start your day with our roundup of the latest labor developments. See all
June 24
In today’s news and commentary, the DOL proposes new wage and hour rules, Ford warns of EV battery manufacturing trouble, and California reaches an agreement to delay an in-person work mandate for state employees. The Trump Administration’s Department of Labor has advanced a series of proposals to update federal wage and hour rules. First, the […]
June 23
Supreme Court interprets ADA; Department of Labor effectively kills Biden-era regulation; NYC announces new wages for rideshare drivers.
June 22
California lawmakers challenge Garmon preemption in the absence of an NLRB quorum and Utah organizers successfully secure a ballot referendum to overturn HB 267.
June 20
Three state bills challenge Garmon preemption; Wisconsin passes a bill establishing portable benefits for gig workers; and a sharp increase in workplace ICE raids contribute to a nationwide labor shortage.
June 19
Report finds retaliatory action by UAW President; Senators question Trump's EEOC pick; California considers new bill to address federal labor law failures.
June 18
Companies dispute NLRB regional directors' authority to make rulings while the Board lacks a quorum; the Department of Justice loses 4,500 employees to the Trump Administration's buyout offers; and a judge dismisses Columbia faculty's lawsuit over the institution's funding cuts.