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The
announcement brings employees at Amazon's fulfillment center in
Bessemer, Alabama, a step closer to deciding whether to join
part of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
A "yes" vote would mark the first-ever for a U.S. Amazon
facility.
Unions have had greater success organizing at Amazon elsewhere,
such as in France, where they precipitated a month-long closure
of its warehouses last year.
As of Jan. 7, Amazon employed almost 6,200 hourly workers at the
warehouse, according to the filing. To win, the union needs a
simple majority of those who submit ballots.
While Amazon had preferred in-person voting, the labor board
sided with the union on a mail-in procedure "because this is the
safest and most appropriate method of conducting an election in
view of the extraordinary circumstances presented by the
COVID-19 pandemic," the filing said.
America's second-largest private employer after Walmart Inc,
Amazon has long avoided unionization, and it has trained
managers to spot organizing activity. A website,
doitwithoutdues.com https://www.doitwithoutdues.com, warns the
Bessemer employees, "why pay almost $500 in dues? We’ve got you
covered* with high wages, health care, vision, and dental
benefits."
In statements, Amazon said the website's purpose was to educate
staff about "the facts of joining a union" and that "We will
continue to insist on measures for a fair election." The company
added that its rejected proposal for an in-person election would
improve "associate convenience, vote fidelity, and timeliness of
vote count."
The RWDSU declined to comment.
The world's largest online retailer has faced criticism over its
handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting some workers to
protest outside warehouses and demand their closure. Labor
organizing has begun in different parts of the company.
Amazon, reporting more than 19,000 COVID-19 cases as of
September, has said it increased cleaning, rolled out virus
tests and temperature checks, and added other measures to
protect associates.
Ballots will be mailed on Feb. 8, the board filing said.
(Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco; Editing by Chizu
Nomiyama, Aurora Ellis and Nick Zieminski)
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