FLORENCE, Ky. — Workers at the Amazon Air Hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) are taking the next steps in trying to establish a union. Over the next few weeks, pro-union workers will vote on ratifying a union constitution.

What You Need To Know

  • Griffin Ritze was fired from his position at the Amazon Air Hub

  • Ritze is part of the original group of workers that called for better pay, working conditions and representation, before eventually trying to establish a labor union 

  • Area labor leaders and many pro-union Air Hub workers began the three-week voting period to ratify a union constitution

  • Amazon says his firing is unrelated to his support of unionization. The company also said employees may join a union if they want, but believe it offers what unions are requesting

The recent firing of one of the campaign’s original organizers is the group’s latest rallying cry.

Griffin Ritze had been an employee at the Air Hub since it opened over two years ago. He’s also part of the original group of workers that began calling for better pay, working conditions and representation, eventually trying to establish a labor union in fall 2022.

But Ritze is no longer employed by Amazon, as of Jan. 23.

“I was brought into the management office at KCVG, told that I was being terminated; this is, without a doubt, an attack on our union campaign,” Ritze said. “And frankly, it’s not about me or any one individual. It’s a shock to the system any time a worker is fired on the job unjustly, and it’s no different for me.”

He said he thinks his firing had to do with asking to attend anti-union information sessions.

“My firing has only fueled this fire more,” he said.

Amazon spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis sent a statement to Spectrum News 1, which read:

“The decision to terminate Mr. Ritze is unrelated to whether he supports any particular cause or group. Mr. Ritze was terminated following multiple documented warnings and violations of Amazon policy. We expect all of our employees to follow our policies and to meet certain minimum expectations, and we take appropriate action when they’re unable or unwilling to do so.”

The company said Ritze violated timekeeping policies and was away from his work station for more than four hours during a shift.

“They said I was off task for four-and-a-half hours, which without context, could sound pretty bad,” Ritze said. “You imagine someone sitting in the break room, they’re not working or something, but I got into work that day. There wasn’t a tug available for me to drive, so I got in a shuttle and went over to the sort, building and [helping] out with transport.”

This is something he’s done more than a dozen times while working for Amazon, he said. 

Braeden Pierce, another union organizer at the Air Hub, said Ritze’s firing inspired the group to fight even harder.

“They saw right through the firing,” Pierce said. “They knew it wasn’t about trying to attend the meetings or going to transport when he wasn’t assigned to; it was about getting Griffin out of there because of the effectiveness of our campaign. The goal’s definitely within grabbing distance now.”

At an event Saturday, Feb. 3, featuring representation from Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, area labor leaders and many pro-union Air Hub workers began the three-week voting period to ratify a union constitution. 

After that, the next step would be filing for a National Labor Relations Board election.

The group’s demands include:

  • $30 hourly starting pay (up from the current $21 hourly starting rate)
  • 180 hours paid time off
  • Union representation at disciplinary meetings

The group claims Amazon has repeatedly shown to be anti-union.

However, in a separate statement, Paradis said:

“Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union. They always have. We favor opportunities for each person to be respected and valued as an individual and to have their unique voice heard by working directly with our team. The fact is, Amazon already offers what many unions are requesting: safe and inclusive workplaces, competitive pay, health benefits on day one and opportunities for career growth. We look forward to working directly with our team to continue making Amazon a great place to work.”

The pay and benefits should be more reflective of the Air Hub’s working conditions, Pierce said.

“I mean, if you walk the wrong way, you can get sucked into an engine,” Pierce said. “You pull a can the wrong way in the sorting building; you can throw your back out. I’ve seen people get their feet crushed by these 3,000-pound cans,” he said.

Ritze has already appealed his termination, but even if he doesn’t get his job back, he said he’s proud to have been a part of the fight.

“The working class has been losing for a long time in the U.S.,” he said. “When a bully is backed into a corner, they lash out. That’s what they do. And Amazon’s the big bully, in this case.”

Ritze said the goal is to get 1,000 workers to sign the union constitution. A union election would require signatures from 30% of workers in the unit.

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