While union leaders, local union activists, and national progressive politicians are all in support of an Amazon union in Alabama, this sentiment does not reflect the mood in the camp itself. Less than a month before the union vote, the 5,800-worker camp is divided among union supporters, strong dissidents and an apathetic center that is fed up with national attention.
Outside the factory – where some workers work 12-hour shifts – union activists and journalists are likely to experience a number of angry refusals when asking to speak to employees. Some workers wear “Vote No” needles while others speak of anti-union literature in public areas and bathrooms. And on social media, employees report their longing for March 29, when the election ends.
Amazon has aggressively countered union efforts, highlighting the company’s benefit package and its $ 15 minimum wage, as well as job growth in an economically stagnant area of the south.
Last week, at an Amazon-hosted round table of anti-union warehouse workers, some said in the media that Mr Biden’s message was unnecessary and that they were not intimidated by the company. An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment directly on the president’s remarks.
“I know the president weighed,” said JC Thompson, a litigation assistant at the warehouse. “And I can’t imagine the pressure our leadership is feeling because there are a few people – a minority – who are upset.”
Carla Johnson, a warehouse clerk, said she was voting to not join in unionization.
“I can speak for myself,” she said. “I don’t need someone from the outside to come in and say this or that.”
The diversity of opinion suggested why Mr Biden’s message was so calibrated – to support workers’ right to fair elections but not to support the union itself. And some observers, including Amazon camp workers, believe the president’s words will have little impact on the outcome of the union vote.
