National Labor Relations Board officer recommends new vote in Amazon union effort

The Retail, Warehouse and Department Store Union (RWDSU) said a hearing officer for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recommended on Monday that a new election be held at Amazon's warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, potentially providing the nearly 6,000 workers there a second chance to unionize. According to the union, the NLRB hearing officer determined that Amazon violated labor laws during the April election. 

The NLRB confirmed on Monday that the hearing officer issued the report to the regional director in the case, but declined to comment further. The hearing officer's report, which requires a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to be released publicly, is a preliminary ruling that the union is hailing as a win.   "Throughout the NLRB hearing, we heard compelling evidence how Amazon tried to illegally interfere with and intimidate workers as they sough to exercise their right to form a union," Stuart Applebaum, president of RWDSU said in a statement. "Amazon's behavior throughout the election process was despicable. Amazon cheated, they got caught, and now they're being held accountable."