The National Labor Relations Board announced it obtained an injunction in federal court against Amazon.com Services LLC directing Amazon to cease and desist from discharging employees and engaging in any related conduct in retaliation for employees engaging in protected activities. The NLRB alleged Amazon unlawfully fired a Staten Island facility employee for advocating with his co-workers for workplace health and safety protections in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and by protesting with his co-workers Amazon’s failure to provide greater safety protections to employees.
According to the NLRB, while the injunction does not order interim reinstatement of the employee, it orders Amazon to cease and desist from further discharging any employees for protected activities under the National Labor Relations Act.
“The judge’s order, in this case, recognizes Amazon’s unlawful conduct and provides the full force of a federal court injunction to prohibit Amazon from further discharging employees for engaging in protected concerted activity,” NLRB Region 29 Brooklyn Director Teresa Poor said. “This relief is critical to ensure that Amazon employees can fully and freely exercise their rights to join together and improve their working conditions, including by forming, assisting or joining a union.”
Section 10(j) of the National Labor Relations Act authorizes the NLRB to seek injunctions against employers and unions in federal district courts to ensure that employees’ rights are protected from remedial failure due to the passage of time.