Amazon faces a formal complaint from the National Labor Relations Board over the dismissal of workers

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is preparing to file a complaint against Amazon, accusing it of illegally firing a warehouse worker at its New York company unless the company resolves the case first. Regulators want to clarify whether the organizer of the newly formed Amazon Union (ALU), dubbed Daequan Smith, was fired for trying to organize.

As Bloomberg first reported, NLRB spokeswoman Kayla Blado confirmed Friday that the agency's regional director, Kathy Drew King, believes ALU's allegations about Smith's unlawful dismissal are well-founded and will issue a formal appeal if the case is not resolved. "The complaint would allege Smith being fired for union and other protected collaborative activities," Blado said. "

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ALU is awaiting hearings on union election applications at four warehouses on Amazon's Staten Island. Smith, a worker at one of the warehouses on Staten Island, said on Twitter on Friday that Smith had been homeless since he was fired. The NLRB has the power to reinstate workers who have been fired for organizing activities, but it is unclear whether it will do so in this case.

The NLRB, after discovering that Amazon had intervened in its first election in April 2021, asked Amazon to re-conduct union elections at its warehouse in Bethamer, Alabama. The re-election will begin by mail starting On February 4 and will be overseen by the NLRB.