People protest in support of the union efforts of the Alabama Amazon workers in Los Angeles, California, March 22, 2021.
Lucy Nicholson | Reuters
According to the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, more than 3,200 votes were cast in a union election at one of Amazon’s Alabama warehouses.
The election was available to more than 5,800 employees in Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, who are voting to join the RWDSU. With 3,215 total ballots, this resulted in a turnout of around 55%, which is higher than what the RWDSU initially estimated.
Workers had until March 29 to submit their votes by mail. The counting of votes began last week via a private video conference, led by the NLRB, during which Amazon and the union were able to dispute ballots based on factors such as an illegible signature or whether someone’s job classification gave them the right to vote.
The public share of the vote is expected to begin as early as Thursday or Friday morning, the RWDSU said.
According to the RWDSU, hundreds of ballot papers were challenged, mostly by Amazon. If the victory margin ultimately is less than the total number of ballot papers challenged, the final score will be temporarily suspended until the challenges are resolved via a hearing held by the NLRB. Any ballot papers accepted are then added to the count.
There may still be legal challenges ahead, as Amazon or the union have the opportunity to contest the election results, which could further delay the outcome.
The election in Bessemer became a closely watched event inside and outside Amazon, as it would establish the first union in one of the e-commerce giant’s warehouses in the US.
Bessemer employees in favor of the union have raised a number of issues about the incredible pace of work, the lack of adequate breaks and other grievances. However, Amazon insisted that he did not need a union to get between him and his workers.
Representatives from Amazon and the NLRB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.