Amazon: No More Retaliation or Favoritism - Rehire Edward Clarke Now!
Last November, we launched a campaign at the Amazon KCVG Air Hub in the Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky region to win a $30/hr starting wage, 180 hours paid time off, and a union. Since then, hundreds of our coworkers have taken the union pledge and become involved in the campaign.
Amazon is fighting back. Edward Clarke, a Load Planner at the Amazon KCVG Air Hub was singled out by Senior Leadership and fired on January 17 for standing up against bullying and mismanagement of our workplace.
Edward is always a reliable coworker. He makes sure Amazon’s flights depart on-time, safely, while always going out of his way to see that everyone in his work area gets their breaks and has what they need to do their job safely. Edward’s commitment to his coworkers often puts him at odds with management who fired him on an insignificant technicality that posed no harm to anyone. The real reason they fired him is because he dares to stand up for his coworkers and has committed his time to fighting for a union.
The bogus reasons given by Site Leadership for Edward’s termination are:
Leaving his workstation computer unlocked while periodically stepping away to perform job duties.
Allowing a Tier 1 Associate — who Edward worked with regularly — to scan freight cans into the load planning software. Amazon was so desperate for any excuse, they categorized these infractions as Category 1 offenses despite the fact that their own written policy does not support their claims.
In reality, Edward was fired because he is not a “yes man” who uncritically accepts Site Leadership’s mismanagement, bullying, and favoritism. He isn’t afraid to stand up to managers when they cut corners and treat us unfairly. He isn’t afraid to publicly support the union drive. He isn’t afraid to encourage his coworkers to do the same because he knows that we need a union to have real job security with “just cause” standards against discipline.
Amazon’s bullying and selective enforcement of workplace rules and policies are what led many of us to get involved in this union drive in the first place. Of course, Edward is appealing his firing, filing charges with the National Labor Relations Board, and preparing a legal defense. However, these institutions are far from reliable allies to Amazon workers, and it’s on us to get organized and fight for a union that can win lasting gains.
We’re fed up with the toxic work environment at KCVG that management maintains by dividing us, bullying us, and intimidating us, which is why we’re calling for union representation at every disciplinary meeting. We were outraged when Amazon took away our holiday Peak Pay, which is why we’re calling for a $30/hr starting wage. We are working to live, not living to work, which is why we’re calling for a 180 hours PTO.
What happened to Edward is part of Amazon’s overall strategy for busting any attempt by Amazon’s employees to form a union. They won’t play nice, and they won’t play fair. At the JFK8 warehouse on Staten Island, Amazon did everything they could to turn workers against the union. Even after Amazon lost a fair election, their lawyers tried to overturn the results through the National Labor Relations Board and the courts until the company was forced to recognize the Amazon Labor Union.
Amazon has also been retaliating against as many pro-union workers as possible at JFK8. In some cases, they suspended whole groups of workers who stood up against dangerous conditions at work. Amazon’s goal is to scare workers away from fighting for a union contract. This is why workers need to stick together to win a union at KCVG and at Amazon facilities across the US.
The only thing bullies understand is power, and Amazon workers have the power to hit Amazon where it hurts the most: their profits. Without us, the airplanes don’t get loaded, the boxes don’t get sorted and the packages don’t get delivered. Without us, Jeff Bezos and Amazon’s major shareholders don’t make a dime.
Like Edward says “Amazon only works because we do”.
This is why we are getting organized at the hub to demand Amazon rehire Edward Clarke immediately, and to fight for the lasting protections that only come with a union.
To start, we are asking our coworkers to wear red for Ed this week to show management that we stand with our coworkers. We will also be distributing buttons at work and will announce meetings in the next few days to discuss other ways to increase the pressure on management to reinstate Edward.
We will also immediately begin paying Edward his regular weekly income from his position at KCVG for the duration of his appeal.
We will mobilize our support in the labor movement locally and nationally to defend our co-workers against retaliation and win a union at KCVG. Already, union pilots fly Amazon’s airplanes, and union ironworkers and electricians build their facilities. We are asking for their help to raise money for Edward’s legal defense, mobilize their members to public demonstrations, and pledging not to cross a picket line. We also need active support and solidarity from unionized workers at UPS and the USPS who handle a third of Amazon’s deliveries nationwide.
An injury to one of us is an injury to all of us. We’re forming a strong, democratic, fighting union, and we will take action now. We won’t stand by and let Amazon bully our coworkers. We know that if we don't stand up to Amazon’s bullying tactics now, it will only get worse. They will keep looking for any opportunity to single out union supporters, and anyone who dares to stand up to management. This is why we’re demanding Amazon reverse its decision to unjustifiably fire Edward Clarke.