A union working to organize an Amazon facility in Alabama is accusing the company of “illegal conduct” during a vote that the union lost.
The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union announced on Friday that it is lodging objections and unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the retail giant. The vote in question was a lengthy one in which workers at an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, decided whether to join the union.
The RWDSU said that Amazon partook in “blatantly illegal conduct.”
“We won’t let Amazon’s lies, deception and illegal activities go unchallenged,” the union said on Twitter. “Amazon knew full well that unless they did everything they possibly could, even illegal activity, their workers would have continued supporting the union.”
AMAZON WINNING BY WIDE MARGIN AS HALF OF VOTES COUNTED IN ALABAMA UNIONIZATION ELECTION
The union accused Amazon of forcing workers to attend “lecture after lecture,” which it said were “filled with mistruths and lies” about the RWDSU. The union said Amazon “brought in dozens of outsiders and union-busters to walk the floor of the warehouse” and bombarded workers with anti-union signs, messages, and calls to their homes.
“We demand a comprehensive investigation over Amazon’s behavior in corrupting this election,” the union said. “Working people deserve better than the way Amazon has conducted itself during this campaign.”
The complaint comes as Amazon was defeated in the much-publicized vote. On Friday, votes in favor of remaining nonunionized crossed the 50% threshold, sending a victory to the company. Earlier on Friday, with half the votes counted, Amazon led with a resounding 70% of the vote.
The RWDSU said in a statement that it has requested that the NLRB’s regional director schedule a hearing about its objections with the goal of determining whether the results of the election should be tossed because Amazon created “an atmosphere of confusion, coercion and/or fear of reprisals and thus interfered with the employees’ freedom of choice.”
Support for the workers was amplified on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers such as socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont actively campaigning on behalf of the Bessemer employees. The employees accuse the company of overworking them and poor labor practices.
Amazon has denied the claims and has pointed to its companywide $15 minimum wage and generous health benefits package.
The vote has larger implications for labor movements across the country. Amazon had feared that if the Bessemer facility decided to unionize, it could have created a ripple effect and resulted in unionization drives at its other facilities.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to Amazon for comment about RWDSU’s filing with the labor board but did not immediately receive a response.
