On February 15th, an emerging union in North Carolina, Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE), accused Amazon of interfering with the vote counting process at a warehouse near Raleigh. According to CAUSE, the live vote count was disrupted as three workers who were supposed to report the results were asked to leave by the retailer.
CAUSE claimed that Amazon's actions constituted a violation of labor law and criticized the National Labor Relations Board for not objecting to live-streaming the vote tally. In response, an Amazon representative stated that both Amazon and CAUSE had an equal number of representatives present during the legal process and denied any unlawful behavior on Amazon's part.
The vote counting commenced at 12 p.m. ET (1700 GMT) in Garner, North Carolina, involving approximately 4,300 employees. A simple majority in favor of the union would allow them to collectively bargain with Amazon, with results anticipated later that Saturday.
Previous accusations against Amazon of improper intervention in elections, such as in Bessemer, Alabama, have resulted in the National Labor Relations Board ordering a third vote due to reported misconduct, including worker intimidation.
Amazon has consistently opposed union activities, advocating that direct engagement with the company achieves better outcomes for workers. While a union drive in 2022 was successful at a Staten Island warehouse, Amazon has yet to acknowledge the group or engage in negotiations with organizers.
Recently, Amazon alleged that voters in Philadelphia last month were coerced during the election process. Furthermore, Amazon is currently challenging the legitimacy of the National Labor Relations Board itself.