The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (New York) has submitted nearly two dozen objections for Amazon’s (Seattle) conduct during the election it held for warehouse workers in Alabama to determine whether a union should be formed – which would have been the company’s first U.S. union. The objections said the company prevented employees from a “free and uncoerced exercise of choice,” according to a government filing, and the organization also claimed Amazon threatened to lay off staff via email, reports Reuters.
The group had hoped the 5800-person election would grow support for a union. However, an earlier vote count showed workers at the warehouse rejected the proposed union by a two to one margin.
Amazon has denied the allegations and said in a statement to Reuters: “The fact is that less than 16 [percent] of employees at BHM1 voted to join a union. Rather than accepting these employees’ choice, the union seems determined to continue misrepresenting the facts in order to drive its own agenda. We look forward to the next steps in the legal process.”