Amazon fulfillment center warehouse.
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Workers at the Amazon warehouse in an Alabama warehouse may begin voting in the mail in early February on forming a union, a National Labor Relations hearing officer said Friday.
About 6,000 employees at the fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, will vote on their ballots starting Feb. 8 to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. Ballots must be received by the NLRB regional office by March 29, then the council will begin counting the ballots starting at 10 a.m. CT the next day.
The decision is a blow to Amazon, which pushed for the election to take place in person at the Bessemer unit, known as BHM1.
An RWDSU spokesman declined to comment. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment. An Amazon spokesman said earlier that the company did not believe that RWDSU “represents the majority of our employees’ opinions.”
The decision will kick off what will be a closely watched union vote for one of the nation’s largest employers. Unions have a stronger position among Amazon’s European workforce, but the company has largely failed to thwart US organizing efforts.
Amazon has set up a website to advertise its position in the Alabama union, urging workers to “do it tax-free,” referring to the cost of joining a union.
“We cover you with high salaries, health care, vision and dental benefits, as well as a safety committee and an appeal process,” according to the website, which was first reported by The Washington Post. “There is so MUCH you can do for your career and your family without paying dues.”
Amazon has not faced a substantial union vote since 2014, when repair technicians at a warehouse in Delaware failed to get enough votes to form a union. However, since then, protests over Prime Day and other events, as well as the coronavirus pandemic, have laid the groundwork for increased organizing efforts in some parts of its workforce across the country.
This story is developing. Return to updates.