Reuters reports this morning "earlier this year, Amazon.com handily defeated a historic union drive at a warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. But with the prospect of another vote looming, the online retailer is leaving nothing to chance.
"Over the past few weeks, Amazon has ramped up its campaign at the warehouse, forcing thousands of employees to attend meetings, posting signs critical of labor groups in bathrooms, and flying in staff from the West Coast, according to interviews and documents seen by Reuters.
"It is an indication that Amazon is sticking to its aggressive playbook. In August, a U.S. National Labor Relations Board hearing officer said the company's conduct around the previous vote interfered with the Bessemer union election. An NLRB regional director's decision on whether to order a new vote is forthcoming. Amazon has denied wrongdoing and said it wanted employees' voices to be heard.
"Still, the moves to discourage unionization ahead of any second election, previously unreported, show how Amazon is fighting representation at its U.S. worksites."
- KC's View:
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In addition to getting in employees' faces about unionization, Amazon also is making moves to accentuate the positive.
For example, Amazon has announced the launch of Amazon FamilyFlex, which it describes as "a program that provides new and current employees flexibility and expansive benefits for themselves and their families. Amazon FamilyFlex gives employees, which may differ by business and employment type, the resources to create the right balance between home life and work life, including pregnancy and parental leave, adoption assistance, and in select roles, the ability to swap shifts and create custom schedules. The program is a result of feedback from employees on the most effective ways to provide flexibility and support in managing their work and personal lives."
And, there's this ad, which seems to be everywhere on cable these days:
