Amazon employees in Bessemer, Alabama, are set to hold a second union vote after the first election was deemed illegal, a federal labor agency said Tuesday.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that workers at the Bessemer warehouse would vote again on whether to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) on Feb. 4. The second vote comes almost a year after the first election in which Amazon employees overwhelmingly rejected the proposal to join the RWDSU. (RELATED: Amazon Warehouse Workers In New York Set To File For Union Vote)
People hold placards during a protest in support of Amazon workers in Union Square, New York on February 20, 2021. – (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
Following the unsuccessful unionization bid, labor organizers demanded a new vote, alleging that Amazon improperly placed the election ballot box on company property, which the union argued was a form of intimidation. The union also alleged that Amazon threatened warehouse workers with messages saying the facility might close or they might lose benefits if the union vote succeeded.
The NLRB ordered a new election in November 2021, ruling that both “Amazon’s intimidation and interference prevented workers from having a fair say in whether they wanted a union in their workplace” and the company violated labor laws during the first election.
Amazon entered into a settlement agreement with the NLRB in December, making it easier for workers to organize by allowing employees to gather on company property after their shifts and permitting union signage within facilities.
Amazon did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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