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.