It seems that Amazon is trying to ban employees in a warehouse in Alabama from participating in a future union vote with postal ballots.
What is the background?
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a significant portion of American voters ran in the 2020 election by postal vote. In fact, data from the Pew Research Center found that nearly half of American voters – 46% – voted in absentia or by mail.
Democrats pushed the postal vote hard, probably because postal ballots would allow more voters to participate in the election process. However, Republicans opposed the postal vote, arguing that holding a large portion of the election by mail could increase the potential for election fraud to affect election integrity.
What about Amazon?
Amazon on Thursday filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board over the agency’s decision to allow nearly 6,000 employees working at the Amazon Bessemer warehouse in Alabama to participate in union elections by mailing ballots.
Instead, Amazon wants the election to take place in person.
From the Washington Post:
Amazon argued in one of the two records that the pandemic voting agency’s policy is flawed, in part because it fails to define what a covid-19 “outbreak” actually is. These guidelines “reflected the hypotheses developed comparatively earlier in the pandemic – before the scientific understanding of the virus and possible precautions developed where it is today,” Amazon said in the file.
In fact, Lisa Henderson, acting regional director of the NLRB office in Atlanta, told Amazon that requesting the union vote to take place in person “may no longer have voting rights for voters who have covid-19 or are worried contracting the disease, “the Post reported.
“A postal vote will hire employees who are unable to enter the polling station due to health reasons or positive COVID tests,” the NLRB decision said, CNN reported. “In addition, a postal vote will protect the health and safety of voters, agency staff, party representatives and the public during the current health crisis.”
What did Amazon say?
Amazon spokeswoman Heather Knox told CNN in a statement that Amazon is fighting for in-person choices because it is “the best approach to a valid, fair and successful choice is one that is hand-held in person.” , which makes it easier for associates to check and vote in the immediate vicinity of their workplace. “
The effort of Bessemer’s employees to join the union is the first employee of Amazon in the last seven years.