By Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama will get another chance to vote to unionize
People hold a banner at the Amazon facility as members of a congressional delegation arrive to show their support for workers who will vote on whether to unionize, in Bessemer, Alabama, U.S. March 5, 2021.
Dustin Chambers | Reuters
The National Labor Relations Board has authorized a new union election at one of Amazon‘s Alabama warehouses, the labor union behind the effort said Monday.
In a statement, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union said an NLRB director formally granted a new union election at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama warehouse. As a result, workers at the facility, known as BHM1, will get another chance to vote on whether to join the RWDSU.
NLRB spokesperson Kayla Blado confirmed the agency has ordered a new election, but didn’t specify when the new union election will take place.
BHM1 was the site of a high-stakes union drive that attracted global attention, including from President Joe Biden. In April, employees overwhelmingly rejected forming a union.
The RWDSU sought to challenge the results, arguing Amazon illegally interfered in the election. It kicked off a protracted legal battle with months of hearings examining the lead up to the vote. Much of the debate centered around Amazon’s decision to install a mailbox on site at the facility, which the RWDSU argued created the false appearance that Amazon was conducting the election and intimidated workers into voting against the union.
In August, a NLRB hearing officer recommended the election results be set aside and that another vote should take place. At the time, Amazon countered that employees had a chance to voice their views on unionization and ultimately rejected the union, adding that it would appeal the decision.
Representatives from Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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