Posted on Mar 13, 2022
Newly formed Amazon Fresh union faces first firing
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Less than a month after a new union formed at an Amazon Fresh store in Seattle, the first union member there has been fired.
Kaylyn Richards said she was fired after making a clerical error related to filling out her timesheet.
Richards lives in the United Indians Youth Home, in Ballard. She’s 26 years old, and has aged out of the program there, which is designed to keep young people out of homelessness. She says the paystubs from Amazon Fresh were going to be her ticket to an apartment of her own. But now that she’s been fired, that’s all up in the air.
"I mean, I know homeless prevention is the key in Seattle. But like I said, they could tell me, 'Hey, we can’t help you anymore, based on the fact that you don’t have employment," Richards told KUOW on Friday.
Does that mean she could end up homeless because of this firing? "Absolutely," she said.
Kaylyn Richards said she was fired after making a clerical error related to filling out her timesheet.
Richards lives in the United Indians Youth Home, in Ballard. She’s 26 years old, and has aged out of the program there, which is designed to keep young people out of homelessness. She says the paystubs from Amazon Fresh were going to be her ticket to an apartment of her own. But now that she’s been fired, that’s all up in the air.
"I mean, I know homeless prevention is the key in Seattle. But like I said, they could tell me, 'Hey, we can’t help you anymore, based on the fact that you don’t have employment," Richards told KUOW on Friday.
Does that mean she could end up homeless because of this firing? "Absolutely," she said.
Newly formed Amazon Fresh union faces first firing
Posted from kuow.org
Amazon
Seattle
Native Americans
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Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Not unusual... large Corporations want to make an example out of the organizers generally. The same thing happened at Alcoa in 1959. The individual fired became the Aluminum Workers International Union's first Local 104 Business Agent... he was eventually hired back. In 1976 I helped organize our non-exempt Lab workers... 15 of the 17 voted to unionize. July 5th, 1976, was the first & last time a single Company Department ever Unionized at any of their plants.
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It's an odd thing about food co-ops and their attitude about unions - very contentious. A friend worked at one many years. When people have a choice to be in the union or not and join the union it seems to create a problem with management Grocery store employees are unionized too. Don't know if joining the union is a requirement. The only place I ever worked that was unionized, required all employees to join the union. I have no idea if Amazon Fresh is more like a co-op, or a grocery store or some of each perhaps like Sprouts.
There is also the dimension for not being able to get through to a person when there is an Amazon problem. Not surprisingly all the robo selection available to customers, and nothing more, does not cover all the issues people have. It is unconscionable they do the same to employees.
There is also the dimension for not being able to get through to a person when there is an Amazon problem. Not surprisingly all the robo selection available to customers, and nothing more, does not cover all the issues people have. It is unconscionable they do the same to employees.
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