‘Make your voice heard’: Biden favors Amazon worker’s union drive in Alabama
President Joe Biden backed Amazon warehouse workers’ push to unionize in Alabama on Sunday, saying in a video they have the right to organize without pressure from their employer.
Biden didn’t mention Amazon but specifically referenced “workers in Alabama” facing a “vitally important” vote over the coming weeks. “It’s your right…So make your voice heard,” he said. “Every worker should have a free and fair choice to join a union, and no employer could take that away.”
More than 5,800 Amazon workers started voting on Feb. 8 at a warehouse in Bessemer whether to join the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union. A final ballot count is expected in a month.
“There should be no intimidation, no coercion, no threats, no anti-union propaganda,” Biden said in a video posted on Twitter.
Workers in Alabama – and all across America – are voting on whether to organize a union in their workplace. It’s a vitally important choice – one that should be made without intimidation or threats by employers.
Every worker should have a free and fair choice to join a union. pic.twitter.com/2lzbyyii1g
— President Biden Archived (@POTUS46Archive) March 1, 2021
America’s second-biggest private employer, Amazon, has no unionized labor in the United States. Workers at its fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama may vote in favor, such a decision could convince workers attempting to organize at other Amazon facilities.
Union heads have alleged Amazon has taken tricks to deter employees from voting to unionize. However, Amazon did not immediately react to a request for comment on Biden’s remarks.
Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, thanked Biden for “sending a clear message of support” for Amazon workers who want to join the union.
In Europe, some Amazon workers are unionized but online shopping giant has restricted efforts in the United States.
Biden said it’s not up to him or an employer to decide if anyone should join a union. It’s the choice of the workers.
