Alabama Amazon union election too close to call

The results of the union election at Amazon’s Bessemer, Ala., facility may not be known for several weeks after the final vote tally was too close to call Thursday.

After a four-hour-long vote-counting session, 993 workers had voted against being represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) while 875 had voted “yes.”

However, over 400 votes out of the total 2,384 received by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were not counted Thursday because they are contested by either the union or Amazon. Another 59 ballots were voided.

Those contested ballots could theoretically swing the election and it could take an extended period of time to determine which should be admitted.

The uncertain result is still a big win for the RWDSU, which was beaten by an over 2 to 1 margin in a prior election at the same warehouse that was ultimately invalidated by the NLRB.

The agency determined the e-commerce giant had interfered in that prior vote by pushing for a mailbox to be installed on the premises and improperly polling support.

The mailbox was relocated for this election, and although the union pushed for it to be removed from the premises entirely, workers from the facility who spoke with The Hill said it did not play a major factor in this vote.

Votes were also counted Thursday for an election at an Amazon facility in Staten Island, N.Y. The Amazon Labor Union, an independent group of current and former workers, maintains a lead in that count, but it is unlikely that all ballots will be counted before the end of the day.

A win by either group would mark the first unionization victory at an Amazon warehouse in the U.S.