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Amazon hit with US labor board problem over 'joint work' of drivers

Amazon.com has actually been implicated by a U.S. labor board of unlawfully refusing to deal with a. union representing motorists used by a specialist, the firm. revealed on Wednesday.

The problem from the National Labor Relations Board declares. that Amazon is a so-called joint company of motorists used. by the professional, Battle Tested Methods (BTS), and used a. series of prohibited methods to dissuade union activities at a. facility in Palmdale, California.

BTS drivers voted to sign up with the International Brotherhood of. Teamsters union in 2015, ending up being the first Amazon delivery. specialists to unionize.

The NLRB in a complaint released on Monday said Amazon broke. the law by ending its contract with BTS after the chauffeurs. unionized without first bargaining with the Teamsters.

The board had said in August that it had found merit to the. union's claims that Amazon applies control over BTS drivers and. ought to be considered their company under federal labor law. The. NLRB at the time said it would release a grievance unless Amazon. settled the case.

The board said last month it planned to issue a 2nd. problem involving a different group of Amazon chauffeurs.

Amazon did not react to an ask for remark. The business. has said in the past that it does not have enough control over. motorists' working conditions to be considered their joint. employer.

Teamsters President Sean O'Brien said in a declaration that. Amazon is trying to reap the benefits of drivers' labor without. taking obligation for their well being.

This choice brings us one step closer to getting. Amazon workers the pay, working conditions, and agreements they. deserve, O'Brien said.

Joint work has been one of the most controversial U.S. labor concerns over the last years, and the NLRB's standard for. determining when business qualify as joint employers has. moved many times since the Obama administration. Company. groups prefer a test that needs direct and immediate control. over employees, while unions and Democrats back a standard that. covers indirect forms of control.

The case will be heard by an administrative judge in Los. Angeles, who is set up to hold an initial hearing next March. The judge's choice can be reviewed by the five-member NLRB,. whose rulings can be attracted federal court.

A ruling that Amazon is a joint employer under federal labor. law could be applied in cases including other Amazon contractors. and force the company to deal with motorists' unions.

The board, meanwhile, is dealing with claims by a growing number. of companies, including Amazon, that its structure and in-house. enforcement procedures break the U.S. Constitution.

Amazon has submitted a suit against the board looking for to. block it from choosing whether the company must bargain with a. union representing workers at a New york city City storage facility. A. federal appeals court on Monday momentarily blocked the NLRB. from ruling while it evaluates Amazon's claims.

(source: Reuters)