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Breaking: Amazon Employees At Alabama Location Vote Against Unionization

 

No sooner do I post the What I’ve Been Reading This Week note a little while ago do I see a breaking news headline come across my phone that the Amazon employees at the Bessemer, Alabama location have voted against unionization.

The 1,798 - 738 vote against unionization is a striking blow to labor leaders who had started to believe that they could use the first unionization of a U.S. Amazon location as a springboard to unionizing other Amazon locations across the country.  Those plans are likely on hold given the resounding defeat in Alabama.

It is worth noting that while approximately 6,000 workers at the Amazon location were eligible to vote, only approximately half actually did so.  Readers will remember that there had been about 500 ballots that were challenged.  As the result of the election is not determinative on those 500 ballots, any challenge to those will not be heard at this time.

What is next?  For starters, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (who sought to unionize the Amazon location) have indicated they will ask the National Labor Relations Board to set aside the results on the grounds that Amazon “created an atmosphere” that interfered “with the employees’ freedom of choice.”  I would not necessarily hold my breath on the results being set aside, barring some smoking gun evidence that comes to light against Amazon.  As with a similar union defeat at a Tennessee Volkswagen a few years ago, maybe labor advocates will wait and give it another try here.

As well, do not forget that while the President Joe Biden administration voiced support for unionization, the administration did not dive head first and throw its weight beyond the unionization efforts.  Whether the writing was on the wall and the administration did not want to risk losing any political sway or whether the administration simply wanted to stay above the fray, this election defeat should temper expectations of a massive organized labor renaissance for the time being.


For additional information:  https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/09/amazon-alabama-union-drive-defeat-480581

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