Union plans to file objections following failed vote at Amazon's Bessemer facility

Bessemer, Ala. — Officials with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store union plan to file objections with the National Labor Relations Board after a vote to unionize workers at Amazon’s Bessemer facility failed.

They say Amazon interfered with employees’ right to vote in a free and fair union election.

Amazon workers at the Bessemer facility voted against unionization by more than a two-to-one margin. There were 1,798 “no” votes and 738 “yes” votes. The facility employs 5,800 workers.

But union organizers said the fight is only just beginning.

“We will be calling on the labor board to hold Amazon accountable for its egregious behavior during the campaign. Amazon misled and manipulated workers. They lied and tried to game the system,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum.

The union said the results of the election should be set aside.

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They claim Amazon required workers to attend lectures filled with lies, bombarded employees with signs and text messages, and lied about union dues in a right-to-work state.

In a statement, Amazon said it didn’t intimidate employees.

The company said employees heard far more anti-Amazon messages from the union and policymakers than corporate messages.

Amazon also said it pays workers at least $15 an hour and provides healthcare and other benefits from day one.

Janice Fine, a professor and labor expert with Rutgers University, said it’s not unusual for unions to fail in their early efforts.

She said that’s what happened at auto, steel, and rubber plants across the country.

Dr. Fine said it’s tough to unionize during a pandemic and given Amazon’s worker productivity goals.

“Given that it was COVID, given the surveillance and intense pressure on workers to meet their productivity targets, meant that it was really hard to build the kind of internal organization that would be needed when you’re up against a company that’s so pledged against a union as Amazon is,” Dr. Fine said.

But union organizers say the fight continues.

“A lot of people are calling me telling me, Mike, if I had known the things I know now before I had voted, I would have voted a different way,” said RWDSU Organizer Michael Foster.