Alabama Amazon Workers Vote Against Unionizing

Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama voted 1,798 to 738 against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), the National Labor Relations Board announced Friday. The vote was the first formal attempt to unionize by workers at the online retail giant that employs over 950,000 Americans, pays workers at least $15 per hour and is known for intense working conditions. Amazon took several anti-union actions leading up to the Bessemer vote, including sending near-daily texts urging workers to vote no, holding mandatory anti-union meetings and attempting to ban mail-in ballots for the vote; the RWDSU has raised objections that these actions "interfered with the employees' freedom of choice," potentially invalidating the vote. Coverage was relatively similar across the spectrum but was featured less prominently on homepages of right-rated outlets and some left-rated outlets.