BESSEMER, Ala. (AP) - The National Labor Relations Board on Friday dismissed objections filed by Amazon over a union vote set for next week at a fulfillment center that employs more than 5,000 people in suburban Birmingham.
The agency said objections by the online retailer didn’t raise any “substantial issues” that needed review, al.com reported.
Amazon had no immediate comment, but the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, Stuart Appelbaum, said the company should begin “respecting its own employees” and allow them to vote without intimidation or interference.
Amazon had cited issues with plans for mail-in balloting related to the COVID-19 pandemic and asked for in-person voting in the center’s parking lot in Bessemer, located just west of Birmingham, over four days.
The NLRB ruled that in-person voting would require people to gather for extended periods, so mail-in voting was justified. Ballots are expected to begin going out by Monday to workers, and votes will be counted on March 30.
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