Amazon Sues New York Over Labor Law Granting State Power in Workplace Disputes

Amazon has filed a lawsuit against the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), aiming to block enforcement of a new labor law that it says unlawfully intrudes on federal authority. The complaint, lodged in Brooklyn federal court, argues that New York’s Senate Bill 8034A creates an unconstitutional overlap by granting PERB the power to regulate private-sector labor relations, a responsibility Amazon says belongs solely to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Signed by Governor Kathy Hochul on September 5, the law was introduced to safeguard workers while the NLRB faces a backlog caused by the removal of Democratic member Gwynne Wilcox earlier this year. With hundreds of cases stalled, Hochul framed the measure as necessary protection for workers.

Amazon contends the law disrupts the balance of federal and state jurisdiction, pointing to PERB’s recent action against the company. The board filed a charge over the August 9 dismissal of Brima Sylla, a Staten Island warehouse employee and union vice president, even though the NLRB had already begun its own review. Amazon argues this dual oversight could create conflicting rulings and legal chaos, undermining labor law consistency nationwide.

The state law, according to Amazon’s filing, effectively presumes PERB authority over private employers unless challenged in court, reversing the federal system established by Congress. Neither PERB nor the New York Attorney General’s office has issued a comment on the lawsuit.

This legal battle comes as the NLRB itself filed a separate case on September 12 in Albany federal court, also seeking to block the state law. Amazon, which employs more than 1.5 million workers globally, remains at the center of ongoing disputes over unionization and worker rights.