Amazon workers in Alabama have found another shot in unionise | Labor Rights Issues

But even with the second election, labor experts say the success of the deal is long overdue because Amazon could appeal and try to delay another vote.

A new coalition of workers in the Amazon workers’ union in Bessemer, Alabama in the United States will take place in opposition to the first vote held in April.

The move is a major problem for Amazon, which has been for almost a year urging storage workers in Bessemer to reject the deal, which they did with the border.

A call for action was first announced on Monday by Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which led the coalition planning team. A spokesman for the National Labor Relations Board confirmed this but did not say much.

RWDSU was blamed on Amazon for violating the rules during the first vote. In August, the NLRB’s presiding officer who presided over the case confirmed that Amazon had violated labor laws and urged the district commissioner to set aside the results and streamline another decision.

The main reason for the confirmation was the US Postal Service mailbox that Amazon placed in the parking lot ahead of the election, which would have dispelled the misconception that the company was running the election. Security cameras at the parking lot could have intimidated workers who thought Amazon might be watching workers voting. About 53 percent of the nearly 6,000 workers voted in the first general election.

Kelly Nantel, a spokeswoman for the Amazon, called the decision “disappointing”.

“Our staff always have the opportunity to decide whether to join the partnership or not, and they strongly chose not to join RWDSU earlier this year,” he said. “It is a pity that the NLRB has now decided not to count the votes.”

Stuart Appelbaum, president of RWDSU, sees the NLRB election as a victory.

“Today’s view confirms what we have been saying all along – that Amazon’s threats and disruptions have deprived workers of the right to express their views on employment – and as the district commissioner has pointed out, it is not acceptable and prohibited,” he said. he said in his own words. “Amazon employees need to have a say in the workplace, which can only come from a partnership.”

But even with the second election, labor experts say the success of the alliance is long overdue. Amazon is appealing and trying to delay another vote. And even after the election, workers may choose not to vote. In the past, 1,798 workers rejected the agreement and 738 voted in favor.

Repeated election means another Amazon war against RWDSU. The first decision attracted international attention and highlighted how Amazon treats its employees. It was the largest alliance in Amazon’s history and only the second time that the planning effort from the company had voted.

Staff at the Pro-union at the Bessemer site said they spent 10 hours on their feet in the warehouse, when online orders were filled and shipped, and they did not have enough time to rest. The deal could force Amazon to offer more free time or higher pay, employees said. Amazon, meanwhile, said it had already paid less than double the amount in Alabama plus profits without employees paying off corporate loans.

This is the second employee test on Amazon last year.

A group of workers in the Amazon on Staten Island, New York dropped their request to vote in a coalition in early November. Employees, however, may return the request.

The New York City construction project is operating without international support and is led by former Amazon employee Christian Smalls. He also said he was fired just hours after preparing for a school trip last year in protest of his work at the onset of the coronavirus epidemic.