Amazon Union Drive holds a hard position

But the company has also begun to face pressure from its employees, on climate change and other issues, and from many warehouse workers across the country, who feel encouraged. exclaimed. Attention will only likely increase as Amazon is on track to overtake Walmart as the country’s biggest employer in a few years.

Nelson Lichtenstein, a labor historian at the University of California, Santa Barbara, says the success at the Bessemer warehouse, just opened in March, could inspire more workers in commerce. electronics are booming. “If you can do it in Alabama, then we can certainly do it here in Southern California,” he said. “It will have a huge ripple effect.”

In a statement, Heather Knox, an Amazon spokesperson, said the company doesn’t believe unions “represent the majority of our employees’ views”, adding, “Our employees choose to be work at Amazon because we offer some of the best jobs available everywhere we hire and we encourage anyone to compare our total compensation, health benefits, and work environments. with any other company doing a similar job. “

The company created a website suggesting that union fees – which can total around $ 9.25 a week for a full-time employee – would leave workers with less money to pay for school supplies. .

“Why not save money and get books, gifts and things you want?” said the website.

The first version of the site included photos of happy-looking young workers, including images of a black man jumping in the air that appeared to be from a free photo website. On the site, the man and a woman are depicted in an image labeled “an excited African-American couple dancing, having fun.”

When asked about the site, Amazon called it “education” and said it “helps employees understand the truth of union participation.” (As of last Tuesday night, the company has removed stock photos including photos of the jumping man.)

Race is often the focus of consolidation campaigns in the South. A century ago, the multiracial coal and steel mining unions around Birmingham were the “cockpit of the workforce,” Mr. Lichtenstein said.