Amazon's historic labor showdown: why the 'Zon is fighting the union push

The labor force awakens... and Bezos has a problem. Amazon workers in Alabama are pushing to unionize their warehouse, which would create the first Amazon union in the US. They want job security and better working conditions. Amazon wants them to stop.

• The status: Ballots were sent out to the warehouse's 5.8K workers last month. They have until March 29th to vote.
• The fallout: If they say "yes" to the union, Amazon will be legally required to bargain with the retail union (aka: its nightmare). That could also inspire other Amazonians to unionize.
• The response: The 'Zon is fighting back hard. Think: anti-union banners, emails, and even flyers in the warehouse bathrooms.

Power in numbers... By uniting workers, labor unions have leverage to improve working conditions for groups they represent. Think: negotiating contracts with employers on wages, benefits, and hours. While they're still common in Europe, they've fallen out of favor in the US: the unionization rate went from 35% in the mid-1950s, to 11% in 2020.

• Why Amazon is anti-union: Union rules could limit its freedom to quickly hire (or cut) workers, and its ability to automate (aka: hire more robots). Plus, Amazon says it already offers better pay and benefits than its peers.
• BTW: Amazon has been accused of retaliating against pro-union workers. Last month, President Biden tweeted a video saying workers should be able to vote without pressure from corporate.