A U.S. official has ordered a re-run of the Amazon retailer in Alabama, saying the ecommerce giant had “stolen” the process.
Amazon he won a carefully contested vote in April with 1,798 votes to 738. But the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union immediately filed a complaint against the company for unethical conduct in the preparation of the vote.
It was the first voting agreement to take place at one of the US company offices, and attracted international attention.
Lisa Henderson, district superintendent of the National Labor Relations Board, issued a statement Monday that the second vote, although no timetable had been set for it. He wrote: “The employer had taken a false step and that led to the decision.
Amazon has the opportunity to request a review of the decision by NLRB in Washington. It may also call for a referendum that would prevent the vote from proceeding while the by-elections are being considered by the National Board.
The company declined to comment on Monday if it planned to do anything about the decision but was disappointed with the decision.
“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,” Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said in a statement.
“It is a pity that the NLRB has now decided not to count the votes. As a company, we do not think organizations are the best solution for our employees. ”
Nantel said Amazon tried to do this add pay and improving security, which he said would be “difficult to do quickly and courageously with central organizations”.
The first vote was made through letters because of concerns over the spread of Covid-19, even though Amazon tried to force a private vote.
Monday’s ruling followed the opinion of the listening officer in August, who also claimed that Amazon banned “fair elections” through sanctions.
His report elaborated on how the company conducted “audience meetings” with employees in small groups, reducing attendance and encouraging employees to pick up “no” badges and other items.
In particular, the attorney general said, placing a special mailbox to collect votes resulted in employees being monitored by the company using security cameras.
The district superintendent’s decision echoed his sentiments: “By placing a mailbox on the front porch of the workers’ office, the boss robbed the employee and gave a strong impression that he was overseeing the work.
“This dangerous and inappropriate message to workers undermines trust in the organization and the reliability of election results.”
It added that terrorist meetings could be an unfair vote for workers, who “may realize that their employers are trying to determine if they support or oppose the union based on whether they have picked up the items”.
RWDSU president Stuart Appelbaum said the ruling confirmed his claims that Amazon’s actions were “illegal and unacceptable”.
“Today’s theory confirms what we have been saying all along – that Amazon’s threats and distortions have prevented workers from having the right to express an agreement on their work,” he said.
“Amazon employees need to have a say in the workplace, which can only come from a partnership.”
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