Amazon employees will be able to form their first union

SAN FRANCISCO – The agency responsible for enforcing labor legislation rejected a request from Amazon on Friday that asked to stop a vote scheduled for next week in which its workers will decide if they form the first union in the country, so this will proceed normally.

The National Labor Relations Board decided that the request of Amazon to stop the procedure based on the fact that it will be held by mail and not in person , was not justified and reaffirmed the start of voting for February 8.

Amazon has historically opposed tooth and nail to the formation of any union among its employees, especially in the United States, where there is no relevant union of workers of the company.

E This could change in the coming weeks if a majority of the 6, 000 company employees at one of its warehouses in Bessemer (Alabama) decide to create a guild to defend their interests.

Confirmed this Friday the authorization from the regulatory body, the voting will begin next Monday and will last until 29 March.

The reason that the firm led by Jeff Bezos argued to stop the electoral process was a technicality about what constitutes and what does not constitute a coronavirus outbreak, since in case it is considered that there is currently no active outbreak in Alabama, voting should be conducted in person rather than by mail.

In addition to trying to stop the voting, Amazon has in recent weeks multiplied its pressure on employees to reject the creation of a union, through direct communications with n them and the creation of a web page in which it warns that maintaining the union will be costly for workers.

Despite not being formally organized, the employees of the e-commerce company have been increasingly active against the company, since the start of the covid pandemic – 19, leading carried out mass protests to demand better working conditions and more security measures against the virus.