FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 31, 2022
Contact: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259
BESSEMER, ALABAMA AMAZON UNION VOTE HANGS ON 416 CHALLENGED BALLOTS WORKERS AWAIT OUTCOME IN BID TO BECOME AMERICA’S FIRST UNIONIZED AMAZON WAREHOUSE WORKERS
Workers Look to Secure Right to a Union After Year-and-a-half-long Battle
(NEW YORK, NY) – The results of the re-run vote to determine if the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) will represent workers at Amazon in Bessemer, Alabama hinges on 416 ballots challenged by the parties. Amazon workers fighting for a voice and fair treatment in the workplace now await a hearing to determine the fate of the challenged ballots, which may have the ability to bring the workers the victory that they have sought for so long. After enduring an intensive anti-union campaign designed by Amazon, not once, but twice, to intimidate and manipulate, workers are seeking to finally have a right to fair representation, a seat at the table and a real chance to fix the litany of issues that have long hurt workers at Amazon.
In response to the current tally of the union vote in Bessemer, Alabama, Stuart Appelbaum, President of the RWDSU issued the following statement:
“Every vote must be counted. Workers at Amazon endured a needlessly long and aggressive fight to unionize their workplace, with Amazon doing everything it could to spread misinformation and deceit. We will hold Amazon accountable and we will be filing objections on their behavior. The tenacity and courage of these workers never wavered in this unnecessarily long process. Workers will have to wait just a little bit longer to ensure their voices are heard, and our union will be with them at every step to ensure their voices are heard under the law. What we do know is that this moment is historic, and the workers in Bessemer, Alabama, have inspired working people all over the country and all over the world to fight for change at their workplaces, including other organizing at Amazon around the country. This fight is the spark of the 21st century labor movement, and we know it will forever transform how Americans view unions in this country. This union election continues to show that the best way for working people to protect themselves and their families is to join together in a union.”
VOTE NUMBERS:
Total Ballots Counted so far: 1,868
Union Yes Votes: 875
Challenged Ballots: 416
Voided Ballots: 59
The re-run vote to unionize by workers at Amazon in Bessemer, Alabama, was conducted by mail-in vote, with ballots due to the National Labor Relations Board for tabulation on March 25, 2022. This re-run election is the result of the company’s illegal conduct under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) during the first election, conduct which the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) concluded interfered with employees’ rights to a free and fair election. RWDSU is seeking to represent approximately 6,100 workers at the e-commerce giant. The workers in the bargaining unit would include certain full-time, part-time and seasonal workers at the warehouse.
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The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) represents 100,000 members throughout the United States. The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). For more information, please visit our website at www.rwdsu.org, Facebook:/RWDSU.UFCW Twitter:@RWDSU.