The National Labor Relations Board ruled Thursday that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy violated federal labor law in comments about unionization at the company.
According to a ruling by NLRB Administrative Law Judge Brian Gee, Mr. Jassy made several unlawful comments to The New York Times, Bloomberg and CNBC in 2022 when union drives were popping up at Amazon’s warehouses and distribution centers.
Mr. Jassy told CNBC that Amazon would suffer under unionization, and the business would become “slower” and more “bureaucratic.” He went on to say to other media outlets that if unions were accepted at the retail giant, workers would have less power and that the current structure of the company allows for better communication between employees and bosses.
The NLRB filed a complaint against Mr. Jassy in late 2022, alleging the comments were threats against pro-union employees.
Mr. Gee agreed that Mr. Jassy’s comments concerning how much better off employees would be without a union were unlawful, but what he said about how the communication between workers and bosses would change was fine.
In his ruling, Mr. Gee suggested that Amazon cease from making similar comments and should distribute a notice about the ruling to employees. Amazon said it disagrees with the ruling and intends to appeal.
While unionization drives at Amazon warehouses continue across the U.S., most have lost momentum. Only three warehouses have even voted on unionization, and only one succeeded. The only unionized Amazon warehouse is still without a contract over a year later.