USA 
United Kingdom
Amazon is gearing up for yet another union election at its Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse after a federal labor judge called for a third vote on the matter.
The decision reignites the long-standing Amazon legal battle over the unionization efforts of its Alabama workforce and is likely to delay any voting as further legal reviews proceed.
The Alabama facility has been at the heart of Amazon unionizing efforts since 2021 when it became the first in the US to hold a union vote.
Amazon workers seeking unionization
An initial ballot saw workers reject unionizing under the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) later determined, however, that Amazon had interfered improperly, resulting in a second election in 2022. Once again, the results remained unresolved due to hundreds of contested ballots and accusations of labor law violations between Amazon and RWDSU.
Over recent months, Judge Michael Silverstein, an administrative law judge for the NLRB, has presided over court testimony from Amazon employees, managers, and union representatives.
According to investigators from the labor board, Amazon’s anti-union tactics included confiscating union literature from break rooms, actions that the judge has now ruled illegal. Based on this finding, Silverstein ordered a third vote, but he also dismissed several other allegations of unfair labor practices, limiting the scope of the violations.
Amazon, maintaining its stance against the unionization push, has announced plans to appeal.
Amazon's ongoing legal battles
“This decision is wrong on the facts and the law,” the firm said. And went on to further criticize the NLRB for “attempting to force a third vote instead of respecting the original decision made by our team members to reject the union.”
In response, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum voiced his dissatisfaction with the ruling, noting that without additional measures, a fair election remains unlikely. “There is no reason to expect a different result in a third election unless additional remedies are put in place,” Appelbaum said.
The union said that without stronger enforcement, Amazon is likely to replicate its past behavior, resulting in further legal proceedings.
This new election order adds to Amazon’s ongoing legal challenges with labor organizations. In a parallel dispute, Amazon is resisting efforts to bargain with workers at a Staten Island warehouse who voted to unionize in 2022, establishing the only recognized union within an Amazon facility in the US.
That election, led by the independent Amazon Labor Union (ALU), remains in limbo as Amazon continues to appeal the results. The ALU, which has faced financial and organizational difficulties during its prolonged legal battle, recently affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in a bid to strengthen its resources.
Amazon's legal conflicts over unionization and workers’ rights have consistently drawn public scrutiny, impacting its reputation as an employer. The online giant’s multiple disputes with employees and union organizers highlight a need for improved dispute resolution channels, if not through unions then by establishing more cooperative frameworks with employees to improve morale and potentially, productivity.
