每日跟讀#624: Labor’s Hard Choice in Amazon Age: Play Along or Get Tough

It’s one of the most vexing challenges facing the labor movement: how to wield influence in an era increasingly dominated by technology giants that are often resistant to unions.

Are workers best served when unions take an adversarial stance toward such companies? Or should labor groups seek cooperation with employers, even if the resulting deals do little to advance labor’s broader goals?

這是勞工運動面臨的最苦惱挑戰之一：在經常抗拒工會的科技巨頭日益掌握主導權的時代，如何發揮影響力？

工會對這類公司採取對立態度，是否對勞工最有利？抑或勞工團體該設法跟雇主合作，就算因而產生的協商結果對推進勞工更廣泛的目標幾無助益？

The debate has flared up around labor’s efforts to make inroads with the likes of Uber and Airbnb, businesses that allow drivers and homeowners to earn income as contractors. And it was on vivid display in the political battle over Amazon’s plan to create a new headquarters in New York with 25,000 jobs.

在勞工努力向優步和Airbnb這類公司爭取權益之際，這種討論也隨之熱烈起來。這兩家公司允許駕駛人和屋主作為承包商賺取收入。電商巨擘亞馬遜計畫在紐約設置第二總部並創造兩萬五千個工作機會，在這場政治角力中，這種爭論清晰呈現。

The plan fell apart in the face of a backlash over public subsidies, resentment of the covert process in which the city and the state negotiated the deal, and concern about its neighborhood impact. But labor issues were also a factor, giving rise to tensions even among unions.

亞馬遜的計畫胎死腹中，因為面臨大眾對公家補貼的反彈、對紐約市和州政府協商交易過程不透明的厭惡、以及對新總部衝擊鄰近社區的憂慮。不過，勞工議題也是因素之一，以致就連工會之間都關係緊張。

In the more confrontational camp were labor groups led by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which called on the city and the state to withhold nearly $3 billion in subsidies unless Amazon established a “fair process” for its warehouse workers in the city to unionize. The retail workers said they were open to negotiating what that meant.

採取較為對抗態度的陣營是由「零售、批發與百貨公司工會」領軍的一些勞工團體，這個工會要求紐約市與州政府先扣留近30億美元補貼，直到亞馬遜建立「公平程序」，讓亞馬遜在紐約市的倉庫工人能組成或加入工會。這群零售業勞工說，他們願意就公平程序的實質內容進行協商。

“I think we stood on principle,” said Stuart Appelbaum, the retail workers’ president. “If you’re aggressively anti-union, we shouldn’t be giving you subsidies.”

零售工會主席艾普鮑姆說：「我認為我們堅守著原則，如果你大力反對工會，我們就不該給你補貼。」

A company executive told the City Council in January that Amazon would not remain neutral in an organizing campaign at its local facilities, though an Amazon spokesman said last month“We respect the rights of our employees to choose to join or not join a union.”

亞馬遜一名高階主管1月對紐約市議會說，亞馬遜不會對其紐約設施組織工會的活動保持中立，不過亞馬遜一名發言人上個月說：「我們尊重員工選擇加入或不加入工會的權利。」

In the engagement camp was the local council of building trade unions, whose members were likely to get work from Amazon’s Queens construction. They were joined by a Service Employees International Union local, which had gained the right to represent janitors and other service workers at the Queens complex.

採取接觸態度的陣營則是建築工會紐約委員會，其成員很可能取得亞馬遜在紐約皇后區的建案工程。「服務業雇員國際工會」紐約分會也加入他們的行列，紐約分會已獲得權利，能代表亞馬遜皇后區建築群的管理員與其他服務業勞工。

“Their presence in New York — a progressive community, a union town — was eventually going to lead to some potential change down the road,” said Héctor J. Figueroa, president of the service employees local, known as 32BJ.

服務業雇員工會紐約分會通稱「32BJ」，主席費格羅亞說：「他們存在於紐約這個進步社區和工會重鎮，終將導致未來一些潛在的改變。」

Source article: https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/POH0067/338427/web/