Giant e-commerce Amazon just appealed a decision to hold mail-in balloting for workers in the upcoming unionization election at its Bessemer, Ala., warehouse. They argued that the pandemic-voting policy is incredibly flawed and fails to define what a “covid-19 outbreak” actually is, pushing the election to be conducted in-person. Seems like Jeff Bezos only thinks mail-in voting is good for the Presidential Election.
Amazon had appealed the ruling that would allow roughly 6,000 workers to take seven weeks to cast their ballots by mail, represented by the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union. This would be the first unionization effort in seven years by Amazon workers in the United States, who have fought for unionization at its American facilities and will need to win a majority of votes cast in the balloting, not a majority of the bargaining unit itself. If the effort succeeds, it would be the first U.S.-based union for the online retailer.
Amazon asked the National Labor Relations Board to review the in-person ruling and to stay an election until it is decided. They argued that the ruling was reflected by early assumptions of the pandemic and a lack of scientific understanding in the COVID-19 virus. They called the filing “flawed” for not defining what an outbreak actually is.
Lisa Henderson, the acting regional director of the National Labor Relations Board, warned Amazon that restricting the election to in-person voting only could disenfranchise voters who have COVID-19 or are concerned about contracting the disease. She went on to argue that mail-in ballots protect the health and safety of the voters during the current health crisis and that in-person voting would require sending its staff in areas where the spread of coronavirus is particularly high.
Amazon currently retains Morgan Lewis & Bockius, a top anti-union law firm, and has also set up an anti-union website that discourages workers from paying dues and joining the RWDSU.
Democrats have spent a large portion of 2020 advocating for mail-in ballots regarding the presidential elections, saying the process would allow more voters to participate. The Bezos-owned Washington Post refuted all claims relating to mail-in voter fraud by Donald Trump, calling his supporters “dangerous” and “inexcusable.” But if mail-in voting poses any disadvantages for the e-commerce platform, then it is deemed seriously flawed.
“The best approach to a valid, fair, and successful election is one that is conducted manually, in-person, making it easy for associates to verify and cast their vote in close proximity to their workplace,” said Amazon spokesperson Heather Knox.
Preferences on mail-in voting was never about the health of Americans or ensuring each vote counts. It was based on extending power, finances, and opportunity for the radical left.
