AMZN Amazon.com Inc

By Sebastian Herrera 

Amazon.com Inc. is seeking to postpone a unionization vote at a warehouse in Alabama and is asking federal labor authorities to reconsider a decision to allow mail-in voting due to the pandemic.

The company Thursday filed an appeal to a decision by the National Labor Relations Board, which is allowing a mail-in process due to Covid-19 risks instead of the in-person elections that are typical in such unionization votes.

The ballots are set to be mailed to about 6,000 workers associated with its Bessemer, Ala. facility on Feb. 8. In its petition, Amazon said the board's decision was flawed in part because it had not adequately defined an outbreak, among other objections.

Workers are seeking representation from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. A majority of ballots cast would have to choose unionization to gain representation. Hourly Amazon workers have never previously formed or joined a union in the U.S.

A spokeswoman for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union declined to comment. Amazon declined to comment on its appeal but has said it believes the best approach to an election would be conducting it in person, saying it "provided the NLRB with a safe, confidential and convenient proposal for associates to vote on-site, which is in the best interest of all parties -- associate convenience, vote fidelity and timeliness of vote count."

Amazon's appeal is one of a number of steps the company is taking to challenge the election. Amazon also launched a website called DoItWithoutDues.com. On the site, the company asks workers why they would pay a union for benefits such as high wages and health care that the company says it already provides.

Organizers say they are fighting for better working conditions. They have said a union would give workers more leverage in any disputes with the company and allow them to collectively bargain over safety standards, training, breaks, pay and other benefits.

Workers at the warehouse in December received approval to hold the union vote, making it the first such election since 2014 at Amazon. Bessemer workers in November filed a notice with the NLRB to hold a union election.

The union vote is emerging as one of a number of labor battles for Amazon, the nation's second-largest employer with more than 800,000 employees in the U.S., the majority of whom work at warehouse and delivery facilities. While none of its hourly U.S. employees have union representation, it is common for the company across Europe.

Last year, as Amazon struggled to meet a surge in orders due to pandemic lockdowns and a widespread shift to online shopping, some workers complained about health protocols and safety.

Organizing efforts gained momentum. Workers at several warehouses have held walkouts or other protests in response to what they said were inadequate safety practices. Amazon in October said more than 19,000 of its workers had tested positive for the coronavirus. Some employees have also alleged they were wrongfully terminated.

New York City last spring opened an investigation into Amazon for their firing of an employee at its Staten Island facility who had spoken out about worker safety. In December, California sued to force Amazon to comply with subpoenas related to an investigation by the state into the company's coronavirus safety protocols at its warehouses.

Amazon has said it made hundreds of adjustments to make its work environment safer at warehouses, including regularly testing workers for Covid-19, providing temperature screenings and implementing social distancing practices.

Write to Sebastian Herrera at Sebastian.Herrera@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 22, 2021 14:19 ET (19:19 GMT)

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