For the first time ever, workers at an Amazon Fulfillment Center have successfully petitioned the National Labor Review Board to hold union certification elections. The 30 equipment workers organized as a part of the IAM (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers). The election at the year old facility in Middletown, Delaware will be held on January 15th. The pickers and packers at the facility, who number more than 1,500, will not be included in the election process. Amazon issued a statement that explained that the company respects the rights of employees to be heard, but believes that direct connection between individual employees and management is the best way to respond to its workforce.
See "Amazon May Get Its First Labor Union in the U.S.", Brad Stone, Business Week, December 17, 2013