AutoZone Workers Are Trying to Form the Company’s First-Ever Union with Local 259

Workers at an AutoZone in White Plains, NY, are seeking to become the first store at the country’s largest auto parts retailer to win a union election, set to begin today, despite a heavy-handed union opposition campaign from the company.

LaborLab, a non-profit workers’-rights watchdog, estimated that AutoZone has spent around $200,000 to oppose the unionization effort at this one store, where 11 workers are eligible to vote to join UAW Local 259. “It’s like hitting a fly with a mallet,” said Mike DiGuiseppe, Local 259’s vice president. “They’ve had more corporate executive union-busters in the store than workers.”

Juan Accostupa, one of the workers, has worked for AutoZone for 10 years, earning $17 an hour. During that time, his wage has increased only to keep up with New York’s minimum wage. “We don’t just cash people out,” he said. “We do extra work physically. We do the unloading of trucks. We do installations of wiper blades, headlights, and batteries.”

In the news:

• The Guardian: Workers in New York seek to create first AutoZone union as company resists (Sept. 18)
• Labor Notes: AutoZone Workers Are Trying to Form the Company’s First-Ever Union (Sept. 21)