Amazon Ratchets Up Anti-Union Pressure on Workers in Alabama

Employees are being pulled into ‘propaganda’ sessions and exhorted to vote against joining a retail union. 

Photographer: Bess Adler/Bloomberg
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Amazon.com Inc. has unleashed a public-relations campaign at its warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, hoping to persuade more than 5,800 workers to reject the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

Employees have been ordered to attend meetings where managers sow doubts about the unionization drive, according to two workers who attended. The meetings typically last about half an hour and target about 15 employees at a time, one said, frustrating workers because they fall behind in their duties during the sessions and have to catch up later.