Union Election Underway at Amazon’s RDU1 Warehouse

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Good morning, readers.

It’s day two of voting in the union election at Amazon’s RDU1 warehouse in Garner.

Workers are casting their ballots in an area next to the warehouse’s shipping dock, where, in recent weeks, Amazon management has been holding daily town halls that workers describe as “vote no rallies.” 

The election runs through this Saturday, with 4,300 workers eligible to vote on whether RDU1 will become just the second unionized Amazon workplace in the country.

Tensions escalated Sunday night when Garner police arrested a visiting union organizer from Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse—the only successfully unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. so far. The arrest came two months after police detained three other union supporters outside RDU1.

If the union wins, organizers plan to push for workplace changes including $30 hourly wages, better scheduling, and expanded benefits. Organizers say Amazon has ramped up its opposition in recent weeks, including what they characterize as targeted messaging to different ethnic groups within the warehouse’s diverse workforce.

Read the full story here to learn more about how the battle is playing out on the ground.

Have a good Tuesday.

 —Lena

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