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Workers at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, have begun the rerun of a historic union election after the U.S. labor regulator ruled Amazon’s conduct had interfered with a previous election in 2021 and ordered a new vote.
If successful, the warehouse would be the first Amazon facility to unionize in the U.S. Employees say that Amazon is fighting hard to make sure this vote also fails, the Guardian reported.
More than 6,100 workers are eligible to vote in the union election, which will determine if workers will be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Due to high employee turnover, almost half of the eligible workers in this election were not working at Amazon during the first union election.
Ballots were sent to Alabama workers on Feb. 4, with ballots due to be returned by March 25. Results will be tallied beginning on March 28.
Two other Amazon warehouses, JFK8 and LDJ5 in Staten Island, New York, have filed petitions to hold union elections with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), though election dates have not been set by the NLRB regional director.
Amazon has not commented on how its conduct this election has changed from the previous one. A spokesperson said in an email to the Guardian: “Our employees have always had the choice of whether or not to join a union, and they overwhelmingly chose not to join the RWDSU last year. We look forward to our team in BHM1 having their voices heard again.”
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