Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN Warehouse Workers Receive NLRB’s Approval To Vote To Unionize

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) warehouse workers in Alabama have been allowed to vote to unionize, according to the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB rejected the e-commerce giant’s request to delay the vote expected to commence on February 8, 2021.

Amazon workers to vote to unionize

For most, Amazon’s bid was a stalling tactic considering the company was demanding that voting should take place in person, which is a risk considering the COVID-19 virus is still a threat in the US. The NLRB ruled that the Bessemer fulfillment Centre, Birmingham warehouse workers could vote by mail despite the objections from the company. Despite voting by mail presenting a safer way to vote, Amazon Attorneys argued in an appeal to the NRLB that the process could take longer and involve a lot of resources compared to when the workers could have voted in person.

The NLRB said on Friday that the company didn’t raise substantial issues that could have warranted a review and thus rejected attempts to delay the elections. The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Unit (RWDSU) are leading the unionization and will be the worker’s representative if they choose to unionize. Around 5,800 workers will receive the union ballots.

RWDSU to represent workers once they unionize

RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum while commenting on the decision from the NLRB said that Amazon workers have once again won another fight in their unionization efforts. Stuart added that the company’s disregard of its workers’ health and safety was shown by the insistence of in-person voting in the middle of the VCOVID-19 pandemic. He said that the NLRB’s decision proves that the company should start respecting its employees and this let them vote without interference or intimidation.

The company’s spokesperson Heather Knox stated that they were disappointed with the decision because it is against Amazon’s target of getting as many workers as possible to vote. Knox said that even the NLRB does recognize that worker participation for its elections through the mail was 20 to 30% lower compared to in-person voting.