Nov 29, 2021, 05:48pm
An official from the National Labor Relations Board said Monday that Amazon workers in Alabama can have another chance to vote to unionize, after the company spent months campaigning against the union.
There is a sign outside of the Amazon.com, Inc. fulfillment center in Alabama. Patrick T. Fallon is a photographer for the Agence France-Presse.
The images are from the same source.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store's Union said in a press release that the regional director of the National Labor Relations Board granted workers a new election based on their objections to Amazon's conduct during the first election.
In the spring of 2021, the union filed objections to the vote and accused Amazon of intimidating workers into voting no, and in the summer of 2021, an NLRB hearing officer recommended that the election be held again.
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the union, said in the press release that the decision confirmed the union's claims that workers were not allowed to have a say in whether they wanted a union in their workplace.
70% of Amazon workers voted against the union during the election in April, which was the first time they voted against it.
In a statement to Forbes, Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokeswoman, said that workers had the choice to join the union, and that Amazon wanted to focus on working directly with employees to keep getting better.
Amazon spent a year trying to get workers to vote against the union, and the company thinks workers benefit from direct relationships without unions in the middle. The company has made great progress with pay and safety, but there are more things we can do better in the fulfillment centers and corporate offices.
The key background.
In Alabama, the largest push for a workers' union in Amazon's history, it was only the second time an organizing effort led to a vote. Workers at the Bessemer fulfillment center reported dehumanizing working conditions, such as 10-hour shifts on their feet with no breaks, leading to widespread attention on how Amazon treats its workers. Amazon pushed workers to vote no on the claims of poor working conditions because they said the company pays above minimum wage and provides benefits without union involvement.
What to watch for.
The retail union said that the second election is likely to bring another high-profile campaign to the area. Legal experts told the Associated Press that a victory is not likely as Amazon could try to delay the second vote.
The Washington Post reported that the labor board called for a re-vote at the Alabama warehouse.
The National Labor Official says that the Amazon Union Vote should be Redone.
