A judge made Amazon rerun the union vote at its Bessemer, Alabama warehouse due to the illegal strong-arm tactics it used against workers. The new vote is about to take place — and Amazon is still using the same methods.
On Friday, January 21, Isaiah Thomas, a shipping dock worker at BHM1, Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama warehouse, was given a letter from management informing him that he had violated the company’s solicitation policy by discussing unionization with his coworkers.
“While we understand your activity may have occurred during your break time, you were interfering with fellow associates during their working time, in their work areas,” read the memo. “Amazon respects your right to engage in lawful solicitation in accordance with our lawful policy.”
The letter is the subject of the unfair labor practice (ULP) charge filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which is preparing for a second union election at BHM1. The NLRB ordered the election be rerun after finding that Amazon “hijacked the process” by getting a mailbox installed near the warehouse’s entrance, thus creating the appearance of surveillance and disturbing the “laboratory conditions” required during a union vote. The memo to Thomas could also count as a violation of Amazon’s settlement with the NLRB, which prohibits the company from interfering in organizing.