Amazon warehouse workers to take historic vote to unionize
Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama are set to take a historic vote on Monday in a move to unionize.
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On Friday, the National Labor Relations Board rejected Amazon’s attempt to delay a union vote set for 8 February in the US that could see the first unionized facility in the US.
The company demanded that the vote take place in person, but that was deemed a health risk due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A mail-in vote was approved instead.
Ballots will go out on Monday to more than 5,800 workers at the warehouse in Bessemer, near Birmingham, asking if they want to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
The election, which is set to run through 29 March, marks the first Amazon warehouse union vote since a group of technicians in Delaware voted against unionizing in 2014.
Amazon has battled efforts to unionize their American facilities, even though many of its European warehouses operate under union agreements.
Company representatives allege that workers behind the union drive do not represent a majority of its employees.
"Our employees choose to work at Amazon because we offer some of the best jobs available everywhere we hire, and we encourage anyone to compare our overall pay, benefits, and workplace environment to any other company with similar jobs," Amazon spokesperson Lisa Levandowski said when Bessemer workers notified the NLRB of their intention to unionize back in November.
According to NPR, workers at the Bessemer warehouse complained about grueling productivity quotas and wanted more input in shaping the workplace, including how people are disciplined or fired.
Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted his support for the union election last week.
"It cannot be overstated how powerful it will be if Amazon workers in Alabama vote to form a union," Sanders wrote on Saturday. "They are taking on powerful anti-union forces in a strong anti-union state, but their victory will benefit every worker in America. I'm proud to stand with them."
Separately, 50 House representatives sent an open letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Friday, criticising the efforts from the company to halt the vote and calling the Alabama vote "an opportunity for a reset."
"We ask that you stop these strong-arm tactics immediately and allow your employees freely to exercise their right to organize a union."