Amazon is pushing for a major union vote to take place in person despite the pandemic

Amazon is pushing for a major union vote to take place in person despite the pandemic

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The e-commerce giant filed a motion on Thursday to postpone the union election, which is scheduled to begin on February 8, so that the NLRB can review its decision to conduct the election by mail over almost two months, in instead of through person event.

NLRB declined to comment on Amazon’s request.

The union vote is a milestone for Alabama facilities and for Amazon (AMZN). Although some Amazon workers are unionized in Europe, the company has so far rejected unions in the United States. A union election was held in 2014 in a Delaware warehouse, but it resulted in the workers’ total rejection.

The NLRB said last week that about 6,000 employees at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama facility would vote by mail, looking at the health risks of the pandemic.

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“The election by ballot by mail will grant rights to employees who cannot enter the polling place for health reasons or due to positive COVID tests,” said the NLRB decision. “In addition, an election by ballot by mail will protect the health and safety of voters, Agency staff, party representatives and the public during the current health crisis.”

In documents this week, however, Amazon said the NLRB’s decision on its election did not specify what is considered an “outbreak”. Amazon said NLRB acting regional director Lisa Henderson “has come to the remarkable conclusion that any level of infection or potential infection among employees counts as an ‘outbreak’.”

Amazon said that at its Bessemer facility, 2.88% of Amazon’s 7,575 employees and contractors – or 218 people – tested positive during the 14-day period ending January 7. Amazon rejected the idea that this would be considered an outbreak.

“If true, the facilities will be in a constant state of ‘outbreak’, unless and until the virus almost disappears, with no manual elections taking place until that unknown moment,” the suit said, also citing that a postal election could “deprive tens or hundreds of voters “because it is imperfect.

In the NLRB decision last week, Henderson noted that Jefferson County, where the facility is located, had a positivity rate of more than 17% on January 11, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The NLRB said in November that a postal vote would be “normally appropriate” if the number of confirmed cases in the county is increasing, or if it is 5% or more. In its lawsuit, Amazon said this decision “reflected assumptions developed comparatively early in the pandemic”.

In a statement to CNN Business, Amazon spokeswoman Heather Knox said the company believes that “the best approach to a valid, fair and successful election is one that is conducted manually, personally, making it easier for members check and vote in proximity to the workplace. ”

“Amazon has provided NLRB with a secure, confidential and convenient proposal for members to vote on the spot, which is in the best interest of all parties – member convenience, vote faithfulness and punctual vote counting,” Knox said in the statement. . “We will continue to insist on measures for a fair election and we want everyone to vote, so our focus is on ensuring that this is possible.

Union pressure comes at a time when working conditions at Amazon’s warehouses are under intensive surveillance during the pandemic. The company hired hundreds of thousands of workers worldwide to meet the increased demand. Several warehouse workers have talked about security issues since the pandemic began.
Factory workers filed a notice for the first time in November with the NLRB about holding an election to unionize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
“Having a union on Amazon would give us the right to collectively negotiate our working conditions, including items such as safety standards, training, breaks, wages, benefits and other important issues that would make our workplace better,” says a support website. to unionize Amazon’s Bessemer workers.

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