By Sebastian Herrera
Amazon.com Inc. employees in Alabama voted not to unionize,
according to a Wall Street Journal tally, handing the tech giant a
victory in its biggest battle to date against labor-organizing
efforts after the contest fueled national debate over working
conditions at one of the nation's largest employers.
With 72% of ballots counted, about 71% of the Bessemer, Ala.,
warehouse workers voted against joining the Retail, Wholesale and
Department Store Union, according to a Wall Street Journal tally of
votes. The number of votes against a union exceeds 1608, the total
needed to reach a majority of the 3,215 mail-in ballots sent in by
workers. The National Labor Relations Board continues to count the
votes live on a broadcast and hasn't yet declared an official
winner.
(Article below will update)
Federal officials will resume counting votes Friday morning in a
closely watched union election in which a large margin of Alabama
warehouse workers for Amazon.com Inc. have so far sided against
unionization.
After about half the ballots were counted by federal officials
as of Thursday, roughly 70% of the Amazon employees had voted not
to unionize, according to a Wall Street Journal tally. The National
Labor Relations Board is set to continue counting votes in a
broadcast Friday, when the final outcome could become clear. A
total of 3,215 ballots were submitted.
The NLRB has processed ballots for days since the voting
concluded March 29 to ensure they were valid, and it allowed both
parties an opportunity to contest the eligibility of each ballot.
The workers in Bessemer, Ala., are trying to become the first
Amazon employees to be unionized and would be represented by the
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
As the tally swung in Amazon's favor Thursday, the union
criticized the company's tactics, including mandatory meetings that
the company held to discourage workers from voting for unionization
and its move to have the U.S. Postal Service install a mailbox
outside the Bessemer facility. The union, which said the mailbox
could have intimidated workers who might have incorrectly thought
that Amazon was conducting the election, is expected to accuse the
company of unfair labor practices after the election ends.
"Our system is broken, Amazon took full advantage of that, and
we will be calling on the labor board to hold Amazon accountable
for its illegal and egregious behavior during the campaign," RWDSU
President Stuart Appelbaum said Thursday. "This still represents an
important moment for working people and their voices will be
heard."
An Amazon spokeswoman said the mailbox, "which only the USPS had
access to -- was a simple, secure, and completely optional way to
make it easy for employees to vote, no more and no less." The
company declined to comment on unofficial tallies.
The election has drawn national attention because a vote to
unionize in Bessemer could fuel other unionization attempts
throughout the company, which employs roughly 950,000 people in the
U.S., most at its hundreds of warehouses.
Organizers have said forming a union would allow collective
bargaining over issues including safety standards, training and
compensation. Some employees have complained both publicly and to
the company about their workloads and how it monitors them through
internal tracking systems. About 6,000 people work at the Amazon
facility in Bessemer.
Amazon has said its pay and benefits rank among the best
available for comparable jobs. Employees are paid at least $15 an
hour, more than double the minimum wage in Alabama. The company
says it provides a competitive compensation package that includes
retirement and healthcare benefits.
Amazon is the nation's second-largest employer after Walmart
Inc. The tech giant added 500,000 workers globally last year as its
business thrived while many others were hammered by the effects of
the pandemic.
NLRB officials started counting votes in favor and in opposition
to the union in Bessemer during a live broadcast Thursday that
reporters and others were allowed to watch. The labor board is
expected to announce results at the end of the count.
The winning side will have to gain a majority of the total
number of votes cast. If there isn't a clear majority, the matter
could be decided in a federal hearing. Amazon and the union could
also file actions to contest the outcome. Both parties have
challenged the eligibility of hundreds of votes in total.
Amazon faces pressure from staff world-wide to change workplace
policies related to employees' break times, pay and the rate at
which they prepare packages. Employees are expected to fulfill
hundreds of orders an hour while being monitored by Amazon and
having two to three breaks during what can typically be 10-hour
shifts. Amazon has said employees can take breaks when needed.
Both the union and Amazon used a variety of tactics to reach
workers, including mailing leaflets and sending texts. Amazon held
meetings with employees to discourage them from voting to unionize
and posted signs around the warehouse.
Celebrities and politicians from both major political parties
voiced support for the Bessemer workers, casting their effort as
part of a wider battle for equality for working people and a check
on Amazon's growth and power. President Biden in February called
the election a "vitally important choice," and Republican Sen.
Marco Rubio of Florida publicly expressed support for the
unionization effort, as did actors and athletes.
Union supporters and the company increasingly clashed as the
final ballots were turned in. Dave Clark and Jay Carney, both
senior executives at Amazon, have used Twitter, highlighting
Amazon's pay and benefits, to counter claims by Sen. Bernie Sanders
of Vermont, a frequent adversary, that the company mistreats its
workers.
Paul Ziobro and Inti Pacheco contributed to this article.
Write to Sebastian Herrera at Sebastian.Herrera@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 09, 2021 11:17 ET (15:17 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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