Seattle reacts to Amazon union election at New York warehouse

The vote was decisive, with the workers at the Staten Island fulfillment center voting to unionize by a margin of 4 to 3.

Here in Seattle, local labor organizers are taking heart.

Katie Garrow is the Executive Secretary of MLK Labor, a coalition of labor unions in King County, Washington. She said the recent wave of union elections ⁠— even the ones that didn't succeed ⁠— have inspired workers in the Seattle area.

“It has a ripple effect," Garrow said. "I think we can’t underestimate the impact that the Bessemer initial election had on these workers fighting for their union in Staten Island. You captured the imagination of workers around what is possible.”