Vote counts begin in Amazon union elections in NYC, Alabama

NEW YORK (AP) — Vote counting has begun for two separate union elections for Amazon warehouse workers, the outcome of which will determine whether organized labor will finally break through the company's fortress or suffer yet another loss.

An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers is trying to organize a company warehouse in Staten Island, New York. Meanwhile in Bessemer, Alabama, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is in the midst of a re-do election to unionize workers there.

If a majority votes yes at either location, it would mark the first successful U.S. organizing effort in Amazon history. Organizers face an uphill battle against the nation’s second-largest private employer, which is making every effort to keep unions out.

The vote count began simultaneously for both elections Thursday afternoon. It is unclear when the results would be revealed. Counting could potentially carry into Friday.

The RWDSU said the Bessemer election had a turnout rate of about 39%, with only 2,375 of the nearly 6,100 eligible workers voting through mail-in ballots. Amazon provides the list of eligible workers to the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees the process.

In New York, the nascent Amazon Labor Union has led the charge to form a union along with Chris Smalls, a fired Amazon employee who now leads the fledging group. Turnout for the in-person election was unclear but Smalls was hopeful of victory.

“We don’t want to get overconfident and think that we’ve already won,” he said, adding that his group hadn’t planned any immediate celebrations. A small group of Amazon workers have planned to gather at an art gallery in Brooklyn to watch the vote count remotely.

“This has been a long journey for me, and I’m just happy to really see...