BIRMINGHAM (Alabama, US): Amazon.com warehouse workers in Alabama voted on Friday against forming a union by a more than 2-to-1 margin a major win for the retailer. But the union, hoping to reignite the US labor movement, said it would challenge the results, citing election interference.
National Labour Relations Board representatives counted 1,798 votes against forming a union, with 738 ballots in favour. A simple majority was needed for victory.
Both sides have the right to challenge the eligibility of individual ballots and the campaign process, but a ballot count official on a Zoom call of the proceedings announced that there were not enough challenged votes to affect the results.
Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images This story is part of a group of stories called Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing and changing us.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) announced on Friday that it planned to file unfair labor practice charges against Amazon over allegations of employee intimidation and manipulation. The union also
requested a hearing before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to go over its objections.
Meanwhile, activists who’ve worked for Amazon said the election outcome will not stop more organizing efforts at other Amazon facilities in the US. And reports in recent months point to the Teamsters Union trying to organize other Amazon warehouses and delivery drivers.
Analysis-Amazon s win in union fight shows harsh realities facing labor movement
Reuters | Apr 10, 2021 12:36 AM EDT
Aerial view of the Amazon facility where workers will vote on whether to unionize, in Bessemer, Alabama, U.S., (Photo : REUTERS/Dustin Chambers)
Amazon.com Inc s fierce resistance to unionization, skepticism among workers that organizing could get them a better deal and decisions on election parameters all contributed to the apparently lopsided defeat of a labor drive at the company s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, people close to the events said.
Advertisement
Like Us on Facebook
A vote by workers on whether to unionize failed on Friday by a more than 2-to-1 margin in a major win for the world s largest online retailer. The union plans to challenge the results based on Amazon s conduct during the election.
Analysis-Amazon s win in union fight shows harsh realities facing labor movement netscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from netscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
‘You don’t have to have a union to make changes’: Some Amazon workers relieved by vote, others will fight on
Updated Apr 09, 2:50 PM;
Posted Apr 09, 1:30 PM
21
Workers who voted against a union at Amazon’s Bessemer fulfillment center Friday expressed relief that the nearly five-month organizing effort was over, while organizers vowed to fight on after the online retailer appeared to successfully beat back a historic union challenge.
Unofficial results tallied Friday morning by the National Labor Relations Board were 1,798 no votes against unionization, 738 yes votes for the union, 505 challenges and 76 voided ballots. The NLRB said 5,867 employees were eligible to vote. Turnout was about 55 percent.