University of Washington professor Margaret O’Mara discusses the history of technology at GeekWire Summit 2017. (GeekWire Photo / Dan DeLong)
Amazon warehouse employees voted against union formation in Bessemer, Ala., in a victory for the company and a defeat for organized work. However, the process has put focus on labor practices at the tech giant’s fulfillment centers and the company’s anti-union tactics. The union questions the result. But even if the results are correct, was this really a win for Amazon?
“There are no clear winners and losers here,” he said Margaret O’Mara, a historian, author, and professor at the University of Washington who specializes in the history of engineering and politics. “There may be some winning laps on Amazon right now. However, this has opened a conversation about his labor practices. Amazon plays hardball. That is part of the secret of success. “
On this episode of GeekWire’s new day two podcast, O’Mara shares the aftermath of the union vote with GeekWire reporter Mike Lewis and our podcast employee Jason Boyce, a former Amazon seller who runs the e-commerce agency Avenue7Media and co-author of the book, The Amazon jungle.
Listen above and find more episodes of Day 2 here.