People are protesting in support of the unionization efforts of Alabama Amazon workers in Los Angeles, California, March 22, 2021.
Lucy Nicholson | Reuters
More than 3,200 ballots were cast in a high-stakes union election at one of Amazon’s Amazon stores, according to the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store.
The election was open to more than 5,800 employees at the Amazon Bessemer, Alabama, who are voting to join RWDSU. With 3,215 total votes cast, this led to a turnout of about 55%, which is higher than originally estimated by RWDSU.
The workers had until March 29 to present their ballots by mail. The counting began last week with a private video conference chaired by the NLRB, during which Amazon and the union could challenge ballots based on factors such as an illegible signature or whether a person’s job classification entitles them to vote.
The public portion of the vote is expected to begin immediately after Thursday or Friday morning, RWDSU said.
Hundreds of ballots have been challenged, mostly by Amazon, according to RWDSU. If the margin of victory becomes less than the total number of contested ballots, the final calculation will be temporarily stopped until those challenges are resolved by a hearing held by the NLRB. Any accepted ballots will then be added to the account.
There could be other legal challenges, as Amazon or the union have the opportunity to challenge the election results, which could further delay the outcome.
The Bessemer election has become a closely watched event on and off the Amazon, as it would create the first union in one of the warehouses of the US e-commerce giant.
Bessemer employees, in favor of the union, raised a number of issues regarding the pace of work, lack of adequate time off and other grievances. However, Amazon has argued that it does not need a union to establish itself between it and its workers.
Amazon and NLRB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.