Petition To Unionize Amazon Warehouse In North Jersey Is Withdrawn

NEW JERSEY — A labor union recently filed initial paperwork to unionize Amazon workers at a small warehouse in North Jersey, but later aborted the attempt, records show.

Local 713 International Brotherhood of the Trade Union filed a petition with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to represent employees who work at Amazon’s DNK5 building at 105 Avenue A in Bayonne.

The union withdrew its petition earlier this week. The move came a day after the NLRB said the group had garnered enough interest from workers to hold a vote. The reason wasn’t immediately clear, Reuters reported.

The case was assigned to the NLRB region 22 office in Newark. It was originally filed on April 13 and has since been closed.

The bargaining unit would have encompassed 200 employees, including all hourly full-time and regular part-time fulfillment center associates at Amazon’s DNK5 building. However, it wouldn’t have included truck drivers, seasonal employees, temporary employees, clerical employees, professional employees, managerial employees, engineering employees, maintenance employees, robotics employees, information technology employees, delivery associates, loss prevention employees, on-site medical employees, guards or supervisors.

Patch reached out to Amazon spokespeople for comment. We'll update this article with any reply we receive.

Earlier in April, Amazon workers in Staten Island, New York, voted to unionize, marking the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the retail giant's history. The victory was an uphill battle for the independent group, made up of former and current workers who lacked official backing from an established union. Read More: For First Time Ever, Amazon Workers Vote To Unionize

AMAZON IN NEW JERSEY

A recent report from the Good Jobs Clean Air NJ coalition and United for Respect said that Amazon’s footprint in New Jersey is growing rapidly; the retail giant has 19 fulfillment and sortation centers and 20 delivery stations in the state. As of 2020, one out of every 100 workers in the Garden State were employed by Amazon, likely making it the largest private employer in New Jersey.

But Amazon’s expansion may also have a steep price for New Jersey communities, the report claims:

“The company’s growth and ability to set standards across industries may also lead to lower wages for workers in the state. Along with high injury and employee turnover rates, a nationwide analysis of 68 counties found that average industry compensation declined by 6% after the opening of an Amazon facility. This raises serious concerns for New Jersey workers as the company increases its footprint in the state.”

Between 2015 and 2020, Amazon's New Jersey workforce grew nearly 800 percent. In that same period, New Jersey's delivery and courier wages declined 10 percent when adjusted for inflation, while warehousing and storage inflation-adjusted wages declined 17 percent, the report said.

“Every community should be wary when they hear about Amazon setting up shop and what it may mean for those who get hired at these facilities, including the health impacts and the decline in fair wages,” said Chloe Desir, an organizer with the Ironbound Community Corporation, one of the groups that has been pushing back against plans to create a new Amazon air cargo mega-hub at Newark Airport.

“New Jersey workers deserve stable, safe, high-paying jobs,” agreed Yambeli Gomez, an organizer with Make the Road NJ, another group opposed to the company’s expansion at Newark Airport.

“New Jersey doesn’t need Amazon — Amazon needs us,” Gomez added.

• See related article: NJ Warehouse Workers Say Amazon Jobs Are 'Unsafe, Grueling'

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