In a lopsided loss, Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE) failed to secure a majority in a union vote held February 10-15 in Garner, North Carolina. The vote was 2,447 against to 829 for joining the union. About 76% of the approximately 4,300 workers eligible to vote cast ballots. Based on an interview with CAUSE co-founder and vice president Mary Hill, this article explores the reasons for this setback and what comes next.
On January 7, exactly three years since the founding of Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that workers at Amazon’s RDU1 fulfillment center in Garner, North Carolina, have submitted union authorization cards exceeding the 30% threshold of employees required to trigger an election to choose or reject union representation. Voting is scheduled for February 10 – 15.
In this December 23 news release, Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE) announced that it filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board requesting an election at Amazon’s RDU1 giant fulfillment center in Garner, North Carolina, “to become the first unionized Amazon facility in the South, and only the second in the United States.”
This is an appeal to encourage donations to help workers from the United States, involved in union organizing efforts at Amazon warehouses, participate in an upcoming trip to Cuba. The Los Angeles US Hands Off Cuba Committee is organizing the delegation, which will coincide with May Day celebrations on the island.