Amazon's mandatory anti-union meetings banned by Labor board

The US Labor board has banned mandatory ‘captive audience’ meetings

News By Ellen Jennings-Trace published 14 November 2024

• The National Labor Relations Board has ruled against Amazon
• Amazon can no longer hold mandatory anti-union meetings
• The meetings were found to violate worker's rights

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled Amazon can no longer impose mandatory ‘captive audience’ meetings on staff, as it were found to be using these events to ‘coerce’ employees with anti-unionization objectives.

The decision passed 3-1, with the NLRB General Counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, arguing the meetings violated worker’s rights, as they were forced to attend and be subjected to the company’s anti-union messaging.

Abruzzo affirmed companies should be free to make their case against unions, but workers shouldn’t be forced to listen.

Wins for workers

This is the latest development in a string of conflicts between Amazon and its workers, with the retailer aggressively opposing organizing efforts and unionization in its warehouses.

Tech workers have some of the lowest union membership rates of any industry, and efforts by Amazon to dissuade workers from organizing have proved effective. However, the law states that workers must be able to freely choose whether to debate union representation, and when and how they do it.

“Ensuring that workers can make a truly free choice about whether they want union representation is one of the fundamental goals of the National Labor Relations Act. Captive audience meetings—which give employers near-unfettered freedom to force their message about unionization on workers under threat of discipline or discharge—undermine this important goal,” said Chairman Lauren McFerran.

“Today’s decision better protects workers’ freedom to make their own choices in exercising their rights under the Act, while ensuring that employers can convey their views about unionization in a noncoercive manner."

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors