Amazon union election to start in February, U.S. labor board says

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

JANUARY 15, 2021 11:57 AM UPDATED 39 MINUTES AGO

Amazon union election to start in February, U.S. labor board says

By Jeffrey Dastin
2 MIN READ

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc’s first U.S. union election since 2014 is scheduled to begin with the mailing of ballots in early February and a vote count starting March 30, a U.S. labor board official said in a filing on Friday.

The announcement brings employees at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, a step closer to deciding whether to join part of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). A “yes” vote would mark the first-ever for a U.S. Amazon facility.

As of Jan. 7, Amazon employed almost 6,200 hourly workers at the warehouse, according to the filing. To win, the union needs a simple majority of those who submit ballots.

While Amazon had preferred in-person voting, the labor board sided with the union on a mail-in procedure “because this is the safest and most appropriate method of conducting an election in view of the extraordinary circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the filing said.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-labor/amazon-union-election-to-start-in-february-u-s-labor-board-says-idUSKBN29K2BV

[blueinredohio]

1. I wouldn't look for it to pass in Alabama.

Maybe farther north. That's why a lot of companies move south because they're okay with no union.