Alabama Amazon warehouse workers allowed to vote on unionization
The National Labor Relations Board has determined that a union pushing to represent Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama has enough support to hold an election, dealing the e- commerce giant a second defeat in what is emerging as a major labor battle at one of America’s largest employers.
Amazon argued in filings the size of the proposed bargaining unit the Bessemer, Ala., warehouse was more than 5,000 workers, making it difficult for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) to rally enough people to call for a vote. But the board determined that the union has demonstrated enough support, said Terry D. Combs, assistant to the regional director for the NLRB’s Atlanta region.
“We are administratively satisfied that the (union) has a sufficient showing of interest to move forward,” Combs said in an email Wednesday. “We are currently working with both parties to mediate a negotiated Stipulated Election Agreement setting forth the date and method of the election.”
Workers at Amazon’s Bessemer, Ala., warehouse notified the NLRB last month that they want to hold an election to create a bargaining unit that would cover 1,500 full-time and part-time workers, represented by the RWDSU. A union vote would be a massive turn at a company that has long opposed the unionization of its U. S. workforce.
Amazon spokeswoman Heather Knox said the company’s warehouses are safe, it pays workers a minimum wage of $15 an hour with generous benefits, and that it believes the union doesn’t represent “the majority of our employees’ views.” Knox declined to comment on the upcoming union election.
(The Washington Post is owned by Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos.)
Two weeks ago, Amazon lost an earlier round in its legal battle with the union when the labor board rejected the company’s bid to delay the hearing on the union drive into January. The board instead scheduled the hearing for Friday. That’s also the deadline it has given both sides to agree to election terms such as when the vote will happen, whether it will be in-person or by mail, and which workers will be included in the proposed bargaining unit.
If the company and the union come to terms before Friday, the board will cancel the hearing, Combs said. If not, the board will hold the hearing to resolve those outstanding issues.
The size of the unit has been a point of contention in the initial filings by each side. Amazon countered the union’s initial filing seeking to establish a bargaining unit that would cover 1,500 full- time and part- time workers, saying the number should actually total 5,723 employees.
The labor board typically wants authorization cards to have been signed by at least 30 percent of the proposed negotiating unit before allowing a union vote, labor experts say. If the board has agreed with Amazon’s employee count, it could mean that nearly 2,000 workers have signed those cards.