Amazon is reportedly trying to ban workers in an Alabama warehouse from participating in an upcoming union ballot.
What is the background?
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a significant proportion of US voters took part in the 2020 election by sending out ballots. In fact, data from the Pew Research Center found that nearly half of US voters – 46% – cast an out-of-office or mail-in vote.
Democrats strongly urged mail voting, probably because mail-in ballots would allow more voters to participate in the electoral process. However, Republicans have generally opposed postal voting, arguing that running much of the elections by mail increases the potential that voter fraud would compromise the integrity of the election.
What is happening with Amazon?
Amazon on Thursday filed an appeal with the National Labor Relations Board over the agency’s decision to allow the nearly 6,000 employees working at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, to participate in union elections through ballots.
Instead, Amazon wants the election to be held in person.
From the Washington Post:
Amazon argued in one of the two filings that the agency’s pandemic voting policy is flawed, in part because it does not define what a Covid-19 “outbreak” actually is. That guidance “reflected assumptions that had been developed relatively earlier in the pandemic – before scientific understanding of the virus and possible precautions had developed to where it is today,” Amazon said in the filing.
In fact, Lisa Henderson, the acting regional director of NLRB’s Atlanta office told Amazon that the demand for the union vote to be held in person could deprive voters who have Covid-19 or are concerned about contracting the disease . .
“A postal ballot election will free up employees who cannot enter the voting site for health reasons or because of positive COVID testing,” the NLRB decision said, CNN reported. “In addition, a postal election will protect the health and safety of voters, Agency staff, representatives of the parties and the public during the current health crisis.”
What did Amazon say?
Amazon spokesperson Heather Knox told CNN in a statement that Amazon is fighting for a personal election because it is “the best approach to a valid, fair and successful election that is done manually, in person, making it easy for employees to vote. verify and release near their workplace. “
The effort of the Bessemer employees to join a union is the first of Amazon employees in seven years.