New vote at Amazon site

A new union election for Amazon workers in Bessemer, Ala., will be held based on objections to the first vote that took place in April.

The move is a major blow to Amazon, which had aggressively campaigned for warehouse workers in Bessemer to reject the union, which they ultimately did by a wide margin.

The rare call for a doover was first announced Monday by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which spearheaded the union organizing movement. A National Labor Relations Board spokeswoman confirmed the decision.

The RWDSU charged Amazon with illegal misconduct during the first vote. In August, the hearing officer at NLRB who presided over the case determined that Amazon violated labor law and recommended that the regional director set aside the results and direct another election.

Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, called the decision “disappointing.”

But even with a second election, labor experts say a union victory is a long shot. Amazon will likely appeal and try to delay another vote. And even when an election is held, workers may choose to vote against joining a union again. Last time around, 1,798 workers rejected the union and 738 voted in favor of it.

A repeat of the election means another battle for Amazon with the RWDSU. The first election garnered nationwide attention and put a spotlight on how Amazon treats its workers.

Pro-union employees at the Bessemer facility said they spent 10-hour shifts on their feet in the warehouse, where online orders are packed and shipped, and didn’t have enough time to take breaks. A union could force Amazon to offer more break time or higher pay, those workers said. Amazon, meanwhile, argued that it already offered more than twice the minimum wage in Alabama plus benefits without workers having to pay union dues.