- Amazon has urged USPS to install a mailbox at a warehouse, according to an email obtained from a union.
- The mailbox can be seen as a tactic to deter workers from voting for unions.
- The union can reason to block a negative vote result by mentioning the emails.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
Amazon has urged the U.S. Postal Service to install a mailbox outside its warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, according to emails obtained by a union at the request of the Freedom of Information Act and first reported by The Washington Post.
Over the past seven weeks, employees have voted whether they will establish the first Amazon union in the US. The email could affect union voting in the warehouse after it was obtained by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), reports The Post.
The group is working to represent nearly 6,000 Amazon employees at the Alabama site in a historic union battle that could set a precedent for other companies.
According to the union, more than 3,000 workers voted, and hundreds were challenged, mostly by Amazon. The National Labor Relations Council (NLRB) began the public vote count on Thursday.
The union has in the past issued complaints about the mailbox, as the mailbox was installed in February, not long before the start of the voting process at the warehouse.
When the mailbox was set up, Amazon blew up workers with emails and texts saying they should ‘vote no’ and put their ballots in the mailbox, Vice’s motherboard reported.
The union said at the time that the mailbox could make it appear as if Amazon itself would see the ballot papers directly – a move that could deter employees from voting.
Prior to the installation of the mailbox, the NLRB rejected the company’s request to vote for employees in person at the warehouse. Instead, the organization preferred to have workers vote only by mail.
The Washington Post reported that should the union lose the vote, the emails – which showed that Amazon had told USPS to pick up the mailbox as soon as possible – could be used to determine the outcome of the vote. challenge, as it can be seen as a tactic to prevent workers from voting.
“We said from the beginning that we want all employees to vote and have suggested many different options to make it easy,” an Amazon spokesman told Insider. “The RWDSU fought against them at every turn and demanded an e-mail election, which according to the NLRB’s data would reduce the yield. This mailbox – to which only the USPS had access – was a simple, secure and completely optional way to make it easy for employees to vote, no more and no less. ‘
“The mail installed – a Centralized Box Unit (CBU) with a catchment area – has been proposed by the Postal Service as a solution to provide an efficient and secure delivery and catchment point,” USPS spokesman told Insider said.
Stuart Appelbaum, president of RWDSU, told The Washington Post that the emails show that Amazon believes it is “above the law.”
“They did it because it had a clear ability to intimidate workers,” Appelbaum said.
Amazon has historically acted against unions in its warehouses, using tactics such as placing anti-union signs at its warehouses and holding meetings to persuade workers to vote against the union.