Dozens of former Amazon employees in Bessemer, Alabama have received ballots on whether to unionize the current workforce, perhaps swaying the vote on whether the online retailer’s employees join a union, Reuters reports. With 5,800 current workers, the Alabama warehouse has been the site of one of the largest union contests in recent years.
According to the voting rules set up by the National Labor Relations Board, any employee who quit or were dismissed for cause after to the pay period ending January 9th would not be eligible to vote, even though they may have received a ballot. Amazon was required to provide a list of employees who were employed on that date so the NLRB could mail ballots on February 8th, but Amazon was required to notify them of the voting eligibility.
The ballots from ineligible former employees could be challenged by the NLRB, the union or the company. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which is trying to organize the workers, has said it has fielded questions from workers at other Amazone locations to see if they will be voting for a union next.