Editor's note: CAUSE is a nascent union at the Amazon RDU1 distribution center in Garner, NC. The text of this article comes from a recruitment flyer that CAUSE members hand out to their colleagues between shifts.
You’re hearing a lot from Amazon about how well it treats you and why we do not need a union. But does Amazon really care about us? It’s a trillion dollar company, but it doesn’t pay us enough to live on. We get no Holiday Bonuses, or even full paid one hour break. There’s little paid time off, and Amazon forces us to work mandatory peak overtime. And we all know about the favoritism, discrimination, bad management and how Amazon treats us like throwaway robots.
What is CAUSE? CAUSE stands for Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment. Amazon is flat-out lying when it says we’re an “external” group. We’re a homegrown, multicultural, worker-led effort run by and for RDU1 workers. The real “externals” are the Employee Relations managers that Amazon’s sending into RDU1 to trash talk the union and pretend that Amazon is your nice bestie instead of all about profits.
How does CAUSE work? We believe in democracy. We hold regular elections for our president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer –and will continue to do so. Amazon is lying when it says CAUSE has a lot of money. Our leaders are dedicated worker-volunteers, not paid a penny. Everyone’s welcome to join CAUSE and to take a leadership role themselves.
How does CAUSE win? We’ll be asking you to sign a “Union Authorization Card” stating your support for CAUSE. Your signature is totally confidentially, and Amazon is prohibited by law from seeing it. Once 30% of RDU1 workers sign, the National Labor Relations Board, the government agency overseeing union organizing, will hold an election at RDU1. The union will win if it receives more than 50% of the vote. Amazon will then be legally obligated to begin good faith negotiations with CAUSE for a fair contract for all RDU1 workers.
What does CAUSE want? We’ll fight in bargaining with Amazon for essential changes including:
1) Higher pay
2) More PTO
3) A one hour paid lunch break
4) No discrimination on the basis of race, gender, language or anything else
5) Transparency about work rates
6) Fairness in promotions
Will I have pay dues? No. Another Amazon lie. In North Carolina, workers are free to choose to be part of a union and pay dues or not. We hope workers will join CAUSE, but the contract we negotiate will benefit all workers regardless of whether they do so or not.
We know the truth: Amazon treats us badly no matter how much they try to spin it. That will only change when we workers have a real voice. We need a union!
More questions? Go to amazoncause.com or email us at amzncause@gmail.com. Want to join CAUSE? Click here.
This article was first published by CAUSE.
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