Conservative Alabama could be home to Amazon’s first union in the U.S.

If successful, it would be a major coup for a union movement in historic decline — now representing only 11% of nonfarm American workers, down from 30% in 1964.

“Make sure you take care of us!” a worker shouts to two union organisers in orange vests standing at the entrance of Amazon's warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama — ground zero of a battle over . The sun is not yet up, but the two organisers Steve and Syrena gamely wave their posters to catch the attention of night-shift workers pouring out of the huge facility and of day-side employees taking over on a foggy Saturday morning. In the glare of car headlights, one can read the words on their posters — “Thanks for your courage!” — along with the initials RWDSU, for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which will represent the warehouse’s 5,800 employees if they support it in a vote ending on Monday.