1,798 employees voted no to the proposal on Friday, while 738 voted yes. Although there is controversy surrounding possible invalid votes, the result is clear.
The result at the Bessemer warehouse in Alabama is described as a great victory for the e-commerce giant Amazon, which in the USA has over 800,000 employees.
Trade union activists hoped a yes victory at the warehouse in Bessemer would be the start of a new wave of trade unionization among employees of online companies. The attempt to organize the employees has been supported by, among others, President Joe Biden.
The employees at the warehouse have been peppered with arguments from both Amazon and the trade union Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which was behind the initiative.
Prior to the vote, Amazon demanded that employees attend meetings where they were explained why they should not form a union. Anti-union posters were hung all over the workplace.
RWDSU claims Amazon used illegal methods and tried to spread confusion and disinformation among its employees. The organization has announced a protest against the process and the vote.
Amazon denies having done anything wrong and says the employees heard many arguments from the trade union movement and even chose what they wanted to vote for.
(© NTB)
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