"Workers at an Amazon Warehouse Reject Forming a Union" by Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times - Reading Response 1/15/14 (Caroline R.)

*Note: The below reading response was handed in on time as a hard copy.

The article “Workers at an Amazon Warehouse Reject Forming a Union” by Steven Greenhouse describes how the majority of technical workers in an Amazon warehouse in Delaware voted against forming a union. The machinist's union filed a petition on December 8th on behalf of the 30 workers in the warehouse. While the union claims that they faced pressure from Amazon and anti-union workers to decline the offer, Amazon says that the workers made this decision on their own. This is most likely true, due to the way Amazon acts towards its employees.

One of the reasons the workers probably voted without being pressured is that it would be better to have a direct connection with the company. Its easier to discuss issues with your employer immediately, rather than having to go through a union. Another reason is because of its “open door policy”. This means that employees may talk to management at any time with their concerns. This is a kind way to approach problems, rather than completely dismissing the worker's opinions. Finally, the employees wouldn't have wanted to create tension between them and the company. Joining a union would have made the company angry with them, which might have put their jobs at risk.


Of course, we'll probably never know for sure why they voted against joining the union. It might have been because they felt it was best or because the company felt it was best. It seems that the former is more likely than the latter, due to the convenience, the open door policy, and the security of having their jobs. Either way, what's done is done, and the workers did not join the union in the end.