Catherwood LibraryILR School

In February workers at an Amazon factory in Bessemer, Alabama will vote on whether to unionize or not. The unionization effort is the largest and most viable effort to unionize Amazon since 2014. This specific unionization effort unique as its location is not a union stronghold like New York or Michigan, instead its taking place in the right-to-work state of Alabama. Last summer in the height of the pandemic, workers at the Bessemer Amazon factory became fed up with labor practices and the way the online retailer tracked employee productivity. This prompted workers to contact an organizer in the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. As the vote draws nearer, Amazon management is increasingly insisting that the vote must be held in-person. This has sparked concerns over COVID-19 precautions.