Amazon just lost its bid to require in-person voting for a union election in Alabama

The National Labor Relations Board on Friday denied Amazon's request to require in-person voting for a union election at a fulfilment center in Bessemer, Alabama, allowing a mail-in effort to commence as soon as next week.

Amazon asked the board to reconsider its decision to allow a vote by mail in January, as the company wanted thousands of warehouse employees to vote in person instead. In its motion, Amazon said in-person voting allows supervision, promotes employee participation, and serves as an expression of employees' rights. The NLRB has been allowing the use of mail-in ballots since March because of the pandemic.

The NLRB disagreed, rejecting Amazon's request and reiterating its decision that a mail-in ballot would be the "safest and most appropriate" method amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, thousands of Amazon workers at the fulfillment center will begin casting their mail-in votes on February 8, marking the company's first US union election since 2014 - which failed. The election will last for seven weeks until March 29.

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which is helping Amazon workers in their unionization effort, said the NLRB's decision is another win for the employees.

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