- Amazon claimed victory in a historic unionization battle in its Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse, after a majority of plant workers voted not to organize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). The vote was the first of its size against Amazon; the corporation fought unionization efforts viciously, employing what labor activists deemed to be intimidation tactics and subversive messaging in the lead-up to the February and March vote. [Vox / Jason Del Rey]
- Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the unionization push happened in Bessemer. Alabama is a right-to-work state, famous for a history of anti-labor sentiment. And Amazon pays its workers double the state’s minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. [WSJ / Roque Ruiz and David Marino-Nachison]
- But workers grew weary of how they were treated. Lunch is a strict 30 minutes. Coming back late can result in docked pay or firings. It’s a grueling job, one that keeps employers on their feet for the majority of a 10-hour shift. Trips to the bathroom are monitored. Critics also say Amazon failed to accommodate workers' needs during the pandemic. [AP / Joseph Pisani]
- After some warehouse workers reached out to the RWDSU in the summer of 2020, citing draconian productivity standards and a desire to be given more workplace autonomy, the union quickly organized. Several months later, according to the union, more than half of the Bessemer warehouse workers had signed cards affirming a union vote. [Guardian / Michael Sainato]
- Alabama is a decidedly anti-union state, home to the only non-unionized Mercedes-Benz factory in the world. But Bessemer has a history of labor organizing. It’s a predominantly Black town, and many saw the vote not only as a labor rights struggle but also as one rooted in civil rights. [NPR / Alina Selyukh]
- Amazon drew ire for the messaging it used in the runup to voting: “Do it without dues.” Workers ran into that slogan in bathroom stalls, at mandatory meetings, and in text messages. Because Alabama is a right-to-work state, union members don’t need to pay dues to take part in benefits. The company also pushed the United States Postal Service to install a special post box inside the warehouse to collect ballots, which labor leaders called an intimidation tactic and a violation of National Labor Relations Board laws. [NYT / Karen Weise and Michael Corkery]
- RWDSU president Stuart Applebaum announced the union would be challenging the results, calling Amazon's actions "egregious and blatantly illegal"; a challenge could result in a new election. The NLRB could also overturn the vote, giving workers access to a union whose help they just rejected. [CNBC / Annie Palmer]
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