Amazon and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union are responding to the results of a major union vote at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama . …
Amazon and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union are responding to the results of a major union vote at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. The National Labor Relations Board finished tallying the votes Friday, after the count on Thursday showed that votes against the union had a major lead, which started early and never wavered. The vote rejects the creation of the first US Amazon union. The election took place against a backdrop of increased scrutiny on the company’s labor practices during the pandemic, with employees publicly pushing back against company policies. While union drives have been quashed for years at Amazon, the past 12 months saw an uptick in worker activism. As employees risked exposure to a frightening new disease, some protested COVID-19 safety measures at Amazon facilities and complained that the company was firing workers who organized walkouts. Labor regulators have backed up some of these claims by finding merit in complaints that the layoffs were retaliatory. As the Bessemer union drive moved toward an election, Amazon required workers to attend anti-union training, sent messages to their phones and posted anti-union signs in facilities. «Our employees know the truth — starting wages of $15 or more, health care from day one, and a safe and inclusive workplace,» an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. «We encouraged all of our employees to vote, and their voices will be heard in the days ahead.» The bitter side of this fight spilled onto Twitter in late March when an Amazon executive derided Bernie Sanders in a series of tweets, claiming that Amazon is more progressive than the independent Vermont senator, who has spent his career championing workers’ rights and income equality. Further tweets from the official Amazon News account raised eyebrows for denying reports that workers have to pee in bottles to keep up with demanding schedules, and for goading Sen. Elizabeth Warren for failing to pass stricter tax regulations. (The tweets led to an apology.) Behind the acrimony is Amazon’s desire for control over its warehouse operations, which power the company’s reliable, fast delivery. «That creates a lot of loyalty towards Amazon,» said GlobalData retail analyst Neil Saunders. One union isn’t going to cause significant changes, but broad unionization and less control over the warehouse workforce could threaten the massive profits Amazon has turned in recent years. That’s because an organized workforce could increase the cost of maintaining the company’s speed and dependability, Saunders said. Here’s what’s going on with Amazon’s labor woes, what its essential workers want, and how worker efforts might (or might not) affect customers: About 3,200 workers at a fulfillment center in Bessemer turned in their ballots in an election to certify the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union to negotiate on their behalf. It’s the largest group of Amazon workers to vote on the question of unionizing, and the first to vote on the question since 2014. Amazon has fought the union effort, reportedly hiring an anti-union consultant at a high price in addition to using every opportunity to dissuade its workers from voting in favor of organizing. Read more: Amazon’s union vote: What’s at stake in the Alabama warehouse election Pro-union workers say they want better, clearer break policies and better job security. While the company offers a 30-minute lunch break and two 15-minute breaks in the workers’ 10-hour shifts, workers say they’re exhausted.
