The vote for or against the creation of a union in an Amazon warehouse in Alabama, which would be the first in the United States, ends Monday after a David-style campaign against Goliath, already considered historic regardless of the verdict of the ballot box.
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“Amazon’s worst fear has already happened: 3,000 employees said they couldn’t work in these conditions,” said Joshua Brewer, local president of RWDSU, the distribution union that will represent the 5,800 employees. of the Bessemer site, if they vote in favor of it.
Since last fall, trade unionists have taken turns day and night at the entrance to the complex, to collect enough agreements in principle (they have had 3,000), then to convince them to transform the test.
Monday morning before dawn, there were still a handful of volunteers, from Portland or Boston, to thank the employees for their mobilization. “We have been waiting for it for a long time, but the change is coming! Could we read on their signs.
The counting of votes sent by post is due to begin on Tuesday, under the leadership of the federal agency responsible for labor law. The results are not expected until the end of the week, at best, depending on the number of ballots contested (signature in the wrong place, incorrect profession, etc.).
“This is the beginning of the less nice part for us, we hand over to the lawyers,” notes Joshua Brewer, who expects legal complications. For him, Amazon will certainly try to delay the outcome “by all means possible”.
The movement was born out of the fed up of many exhausted employees, who feel treated like “robots” or “prisoners”.
Power
“We just want respect and dignity,” summarizes Jennifer Bates, one of the employees involved in the movement. “This means safe working conditions, job security, and wages to match.”
“The number of RWDSU members has been declining for two decades, but this is not a reason (…) to distort the facts,” Amazon reacted on Monday.
“Our employees know the truth: incomes of $ 15 an hour or more, health coverage and a safe and inclusive workplace. We encouraged all of our employees to vote, ”said spokesperson Heather Knox.
The e-commerce giant hired hard in 2020, and almost doubled its net profit to $ 21 billion, thanks to the explosion in demand during a pandemic.
But the second largest American employer (800,000 employees) does not want to take the risk that unionization does not succeed, neither in Bessemer nor elsewhere, while Joe Biden has promised to be the “most pro-union president” of the country.
The group recently toughened their tone on Twitter against elected officials who support the union, and scoffed at accusations about too short delays in getting to the bathroom.
Employees said Amazon flooded them with texts, posters and meetings to brandish the scarecrow of high union dues (nearly $ 500 a year).
The company regularly insists on paying twice the minimum required in Alabama.
But Joshua Brewer notes that “other warehouses in the area pay $ 18-20 an hour.” For this former pastor and many observers, it is less a matter of finances than of exercising absolute control.
Inspiration
The Seattle group is ready to “spend almost unlimited” to “maintain its power over everything, ensure that workers can not negotiate anything (…) and prove that any attempt is doomed to failure”, analyzes Rebecca Givan, professor of social relations at Rutgers University.
Amazon’s arrival in Bessemer a year ago has been hailed as “the biggest investment in the city’s history” by mayor Kenneth Gulley. Many employees also say they do not see the need for union representatives.
But Sondra Hill, who is packing parcels at half-time, assures that the movement will continue, regardless of the outcome of the vote.
“I’m hopeful, I want it to work,” the 61-year-old African-American told AFP on Monday. “I don’t think I would stay if it wasn’t for this momentum.”
Darryl Richardson, the employee behind the movement, does not want to leave either. “I’m too old, I don’t present well. It is time to fight ”.
His message to RWDSU last summer has already inspired many others, notes Joshua Brewer: “We have received over 1000 requests from about 50 different warehouses, mainly at Amazon.”