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| The union vote in Bessemer attracted widespread attention in the US. (Photo by= Reuters) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Amazon won against the activists that are hoping to establish the company's first unionised warehouse in the US. BBC reported that workers at the Bessemer, Alabama warehouse voted 1,798 to 738 against the effort, labour officials said.
That represented a majority of votes cast in the contest, which was seen as a key test for Amazon after global criticism of its treatment of workers during the pandemic. The union said it would challenge the results. It accused Amazon of interfering with the right of employees to vote in a "free and fair election", including by lying to staff about the implications of the vote in mandatory meetings and pushing the postal
service to install a mailbox on company grounds in an effort to monitor the vote.
Meanwhile, Amazon said on Friday that it was "not true" that it had intimidated staff. It said the firm worked hard to listen to concerns and improve, casting the outcome as a choice by staff, rather than a company victory. Amazon contended that the union did not represent the views of most of its staff. It said it offered competitive salaries and benefits and told workers that the union would collect hundreds of dollars in dues without being able to deliver changes.
