Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Ala., have narrowly voted down unionizing, but it could only be a temporary “no” after a vote that was much closer than the previous attempt a year ago.
The final tally was 993 to 875 in favor of against unionizing, but the election’s overseers, the National Labor Relations Board, said 416 votes have been challenged and, pending a hearing, would be more than enough to swing the vote in the other direction if they are both ruled valid and overwhelmingly in favor of unionizing.
The vote proved much closer than the workers’ previous attempt at unionizing almost exactly one year ago, when an early April 2021 yielded over 1,000 more “no” votes than “yes” – 1,798 to 738.
“This is just the beginning, and we will continue to fight,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, the group organizing the union drive in Bessemer, during a press conference Thursday. “Regardless of the final outcome, workers have shown what is possible. They have helped ignite a movement.”
The RWDSU is planning to file official objections in regards to Amazon’s handling of the voting. “It should not be so difficult to organize a union in the United States,” Appelbaum said.
Conversely, the unionization bid at Amazon’s warehouse on Staten Island in New York, dubbed JFK8, proved successful Friday, with workers there voting 2,654 to 2,131 to form the first union of Amazon workers in the U.S.
The nation’s second-largest employer, Amazon has fought vociferously against the unionization of its workers. The anti-union campaign in New York reportedly included banners that read “Vote No” all over the walls, an anti-union website, and mandatory weekly meetings for workers.
“We’re disappointed with the outcome of the election in Staten Island because we believe having a direct relationship with the company is best for our employees,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “We’re evaluating our options, including filing objections based on the inappropriate and undue influence by the NLRB that we and others (including the National Retail Federation and U.S.
Chamber of Commerce) witnessed in this election.”
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