Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Bezos Beats Dem-Backed Union Effort in Alabama
freebeacon ^ | April 9, 2021 | Santi Ruiz

Posted on 04/14/2021 12:17:45 AM PDT by MarvinStinson

Amazon workers at a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, voted decisively against unionizing, a defeat for high-profile Democrats such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), who publicly backed the effort.

The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, which organized the effort, said it would appeal the vote to the National Labor Relations Board, citing aggressive anti-union efforts by Amazon. But the vote is unlikely to be overturned, as workers voted 1,798 to 738 against unionizing.

"We won't let Amazon's lies, deception and illegal activities go unchallenged, which is why we are formally filing charges against all of the egregious and blatantly illegal actions taken by Amazon during the union vote," said union president Stuart Appelbaum on Friday. While none of Amazon's 1.3 million workers are unionized, Amazon maintains its pay and health care policies are better than those of its competitors.

In a statement Friday, Sanders said he was "disappointed but not surprised by the vote" and suggested that "some of Amazon's anti-union efforts may have been in violation of [National Labor Relations Board] law." Sanders praised Amazon workers in Alabama for "their courage and willingness to stand up for workers' rights," calling them "an inspiration to workers all across the country."

In the lead-up to the vote, Amazon took a surprisingly aggressive line on social media, attacking Sanders for campaigning on behalf of the union. It also assailed Rep. Mark Pocan (D., Wis.) for referring to allegations that Amazon workers were forced to urinate in bottles to save time. Amazon later apologized for its attack on Pocan and tacitly admitted that many Amazon drivers report having to urinate in bottles.

Some Republicans saw the union vote as an opportunity to punish Amazon for its recent censorship of conservative voices. In a USA Today op-ed, Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) called Amazon's opposition to the unionization effort "inconsistent with the progressive values it has forced on everyone else." Amazon banned the sale of a bestselling book on the transgender movement last month and adjusted its policies to bar sales of any books that "frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; US: Alabama; US: District of Columbia; US: Florida; US: Massachusetts; US: Vermont; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: alabama; amazon; berniesanders; bessemer; bezos; districtofcolumbia; elizabethwarren; florida; genderdysphoria; homosexualagenda; jeffbezos; lgbtq; marcorubio; markpocan; massachusetts; nlrb; stuartappelbaum; union; unions; vermont; washingtoncompost; wisconsin

1 posted on 04/14/2021 12:17:45 AM PDT by MarvinStinson
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: MarvinStinson

B...b..but I thought he was FOR all the lib-weenie stuff like unions??


2 posted on 04/14/2021 12:20:53 AM PDT by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

Not when it comes to his own pocket book.


3 posted on 04/14/2021 12:24:15 AM PDT by MarvinStinson ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: MarvinStinson

I don’t know which I detest more...Bezos or unions.


4 posted on 04/14/2021 12:40:24 AM PDT by AlaskaErik (In time of peace, prepare for war.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AlaskaErik

Bezos


5 posted on 04/14/2021 2:10:47 AM PDT by RockyTx
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

Bezos did not beat the union - his employees at the location did.

Jeff Bezos is actually indifferent at the outcome, but there may be an unusual amount of attrition at that location with the new employees being much more in favor of embracing the union.

Sleepy Joe Stolen has pronounced the union worker as the only representation of labor he will answer to.


6 posted on 04/14/2021 3:27:00 AM PDT by alloysteel (¡Viva la Revolución! It worked for Castro....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: alloysteel

Amazon has so many of those big warehouses in United States that they could shut down that facility in a heart beat and move all the stuff to all the other hundred or so warehouses across the United States, but more likely it will be turned into a low volume Amazon warehouse selling clothing and jewelry or big items and they will lay off about half of their employees until they get rid of half of their workers.


7 posted on 04/14/2021 3:40:55 AM PDT by ReformedBeckite (1 of 3 I'm only allowing my self each day)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: RockyTx

Having been forced to join 5 unions in my life to get jobs,-—UNIONS.


8 posted on 04/14/2021 3:49:55 AM PDT by ridesthemiles ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: alloysteel

He also has openly campaigned on destroying the Right To Work status of many states & that EVERY SINGLE JOB IN THE USA SHOULD ONLY BE A UNION JOB.


9 posted on 04/14/2021 3:51:10 AM PDT by ridesthemiles ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: ridesthemiles

bmp


10 posted on 04/14/2021 4:40:57 AM PDT by MarvinStinson ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
...a defeat for high-profile Democrats such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), who publicly backed the effort... the vote is unlikely to be overturned, as workers voted 1,798 to 738 against unionizing... In a statement Friday, Sanders said he was "disappointed but not surprised by the vote" and suggested that "some of Amazon's anti-union efforts may have been in violation of [National Labor Relations Board] law." Sanders praised Amazon workers in Alabama for "their courage and willingness to stand up for workers' rights," calling them "an inspiration to workers all across the country." In the lead-up to the vote, Amazon took a surprisingly aggressive line on social media, attacking Sanders for campaigning on behalf of the union. It also assailed Rep. Mark Pocan (D., Wis.) for referring to allegations that Amazon workers were forced to urinate in bottles to save time. Amazon later apologized for its attack on Pocan and tacitly admitted that many Amazon drivers report having to urinate in bottles.
The attempt to make the union drive bipartisan is an invention of a partisan media shill, else why bring up Marco Rubio, and LNRBQ? The Demagogic Party is a collection of violet, rival street gangs.

11 posted on 04/14/2021 6:57:30 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: MarvinStinson

Good for Amazon’s workers... joining with commies is NOT the answer ...


12 posted on 04/14/2021 7:03:05 AM PDT by GOPJ (We need a better class of 'elites' - the ones we have now are more like stupid white trash...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson