The Staten Island warehouse firing incident escalates as Amazon sues over New York labor law's overreach
Amazon has filed a lawsuit against the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), questioning the overreach of the newly enacted law, arguing that the legislation improperly grants PERB jurisdiction over private enterprises, encroaching on the authority of federal agencies. The controversy stems from Senate Bill 8034A passed by the New York State Senate, aimed at addressing the backlog of cases at the NLRB due to a lack of quorum. Amazon emphasizes that regulation in the field of labor law should fall under the federal NLRB, and New York's actions constitute overreach. The NLRB has also filed a lawsuit against the bill
According to the Zhitong Finance APP, Amazon (AMZN.US) has filed a lawsuit against the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), questioning the overreach of a newly enacted state law, which it claims improperly grants PERB jurisdiction over private enterprises, thereby encroaching on the statutory authority of federal agencies.
Court documents show that the online retail giant has initiated the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, accusing the state of New York of allowing the state regulatory agency PERB to supersede the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) through the new legislation, directly intervening in workplace disputes and union organizing matters, constituting an "unconstitutional power grab."
The immediate trigger for this dispute is the passage of Senate Bill 8034A by the New York State Senate. This bill aims to address the backlog of cases at the NLRB due to a lack of quorum, thereby protecting New York workers. However, Amazon emphasizes that under the framework of the U.S. Constitution, the regulatory authority over private enterprises in the field of labor law should belong to the federal-level NLRB, and the unilateral expansion of PERB's jurisdiction by New York State constitutes overreach.
The specific case focuses on the termination of an Amazon Staten Island warehouse employee who is also the vice president of the union. Although the NLRB has initiated an independent investigation into the termination, PERB has still filed a lawsuit against Amazon based on Senate Bill 8034A.
In its complaint, Amazon points out that the new New York law "subverts the traditional logic of U.S. labor law," with its core provision requiring that "the law presumes all private enterprise employees are first under PERB's jurisdiction unless the NLRB obtains a court ruling to overturn this presumption." This design artificially creates a conflict between state and federal authority, contrary to Congress's intent to avoid dual jurisdiction.
It is noteworthy that earlier this month, the NLRB also filed a lawsuit against New York State, attempting to block the implementation of Senate Bill 8034A
