Amazon has said it opposes unions because it prefers to negotiate with workers directly. The company has held meetings at the Bessemer center to discourage workers from unionizing. Since the last election Amazon has raised wages and introduced bonuses of up to $3,000. Amazon’s starting wage averages $18 an hour, and the company recently said it eased some of its requirements for the pace at which workers must sort or prepare packages.
Among the challenges facing the RWDSU is convincing workers about the benefits provided by unions. After the first election, Amazon workers who voted against unionization said they didn’t believe it would substantially improve their jobs.
Amazon’s employee turnover presents a hurdle. The RWDSU estimates that nearly half of the 6,143 eligible voters for this year’s election weren’t employees at the Bessemer facility when the first vote took place. The company has had turnover that exceeds 100% in many of its facilities, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.