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Amazon ordered to let workers vote on unionizing — for the 3rd time

Published

1 year ago

November 7, 2024

Amazon ordered to let workers vote on unionizing — for the 3rd time

Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Ala., have voted twice on whether to unionize, but the results remained too close to call since 2022.

Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty

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Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty

Amazon workers at a warehouse in Alabama should get a third opportunity to vote on unionizing, a federal labor judge has ruled.

The vote is not expected any time soon, however, as the legal process drags on.

The warehouse in Bessemer made history as the site of the very first union election by Amazon workers, in 2021. But the outcome was not historic: workers voted against unionizing.

U.S. labor officials later ruled that Amazon improperly influenced the vote, and workers voted a second time in 2022. The outcome remained too close to call for years, with hundreds of ballots challenged by either Amazon or the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union as the two accused each other of breaking labor laws.

For months, in a tiny courtroom in Birmingham, an administrative law judge at the National Labor Relations Board heard testimony about the 2022 election from workers, Amazon managers and officials from the agency itself.

The labor board’s own investigators painted a picture of an aggressive and illegal anti-union campaign by the company. The union asked for another do-over of the vote. The company challenged how the government ran the last vote and reiterated that workers “made their voices heard” as they rejected the union in the original election.

That original vote against unionizing was set aside by federal labor officials because they ruled that Amazon improperly influenced the election, particularly by placing a mailbox for ballots in an Amazon-branded tent in a surveilled parking lot.

Now Judge Michael Silverstein is ordering a third election, finding that Amazon illegally confiscated union materials from the break room, among other violations. But Silverstein also moved to dismiss several allegations of unfair labor practices by Amazon.

Amazon says it plans to appeal the ruling.

“This decision is wrong on the facts and the law,” Spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis said in a statement. She criticized the labor board and the union for “trying to force a third vote instead of accepting the facts and the will of our team members.”

The union also is challenging parts of the order, which means there will be more legal reviews before a new election can be set.

“We reject [the judge’s] decision not to provide any of the significant and meaningful remedies which we requested and would be required for a free and fair election,” RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum said in a statement. “There is no reason to expect a different result in a third election – unless there are additional remedies. Otherwise, Amazon will continue repeating its past behavior and the Board will continue ordering new elections.”

Separately, Amazon continues to legally challenge the historic 2022 union victory at a facility in Staten Island, N.Y. That election formed the first — and so far only — unionized Amazon warehouse in the country, but the company still refuses to begin bargaining with some 5,500 unionized workers.

The upstart union that prevailed in New York — the independent Amazon Labor Union, saw its finances and organization deteriorate over the two-year standoff with Amazon. In June, it voted to affiliate with the well-established International Brotherhood Teamsters.

Editor’s note: Amazon is among NPR’s recent financial supporters.

Stephan Bisaha of the Gulf States Newsroom contributed to this report.

News

Map: Earthquake Shakes Central California

Published

9 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Map: Earthquake Shakes Central California

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. All times on the map are Pacific time. The New York Times

A minor earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 3.5 struck in Central California on Monday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The temblor happened at 7:17 a.m. Pacific time about 6 miles northwest of Pinnacles, Calif., data from the agency shows.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Pacific time. Shake data is as of Monday, March 2 at 10:20 a.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Monday, March 2 at 11:18 a.m. Eastern.

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US says Kuwait accidentally shot down 3 American jets

Published

12 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

US says Kuwait accidentally shot down 3 American jets

The U.S. and Israel have been conducting strikes against targets in Iran since Saturday morning, with the aim of toppling Tehran’s clerical regime. Iran has fired back, with retaliatory assaults featuring missiles and drones targeting several Gulf countries and American bases in the Middle East.

“All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition. Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” Central Command said.

“The cause of the incident is under investigation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” it added.

In a separate statement later Monday, Central Command said that American forces had been killed during combat since the strikes began.

“As of 7:30 am ET, March 2, four U.S. service members have been killed in action. The fourth service member, who was seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks, eventually succumbed to their injuries,” it said.

Major combat operations continue and our response effort is ongoing. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification,” Central Command added.

This story has been updated.

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Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Published

24 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Smoke rises over Konarak naval base in southern Iran on Sunday. The base was one of hundreds of targets of U.S. and Israeli forces throughout the country.

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Commercial satellite images are providing a unique look at the extent of damage being done to Iran’s military facilities across the country.

The U.S. and Israeli military campaign opened with a daytime attack that struck Iranian leadership in central Tehran. Smoke was still visible rising from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound following the attack that killed the supreme leader.

An image by the company Airbus taken on Saturday shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Iran’s Leadership House in central Tehran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of attacks.

Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026

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Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026

Israel and the U.S. have gone on to strike targets across the country. Reports on social media indicate that there have been numerous military bases and compounds attacked all over Iran, and Iran has responded with attacks throughout the Middle East.

U.S. forces have also been striking at Iran’s navy. In a post on his social media platform, President Trump said that he had been briefed that U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian naval vessels. U.S. Central Command did not immediately confirm that number but it did say it had struck an Iranian warship in port.

An image captured on February 28 shows a ship burning at Iran's naval base at Konarak.

An image captured on Saturday shows a ship burning at Iran’s naval base at Konarak.

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Numerous satellite images show burning vessels at Konarak naval base in southern Iran. Images also show damage to a nearby airbase where hardened hangers were struck by precision munitions.

Hardened aircraft shelters at Konarak airbase were struck with precision munitions.

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And there was extensive damage at a drone base in the same area. Iran has launched numerous drones and missiles toward Israel and U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Many drones have been intercepted but videos on social media show that some have evaded air defenses and caused damage in nearby Gulf countries. In Dubai, debris from an Iranian drone damaged the iconic Burj Al Arab, according to a statement from Dubai’s government.

Buildings at an Iranian drone base at Konarak were destroyed in the strikes.

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Iran’s most powerful weapons are its long-range missiles. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have hidden the missiles deep inside mountain tunnels. Images taken Sunday in the mountains of northern Iran indicate that some of those tunnels were hit in a wave of strikes.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran declared 40 days of mourning. Satellite images showed mourners gathering in Tehran’s Enghelab square on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told NPR on Sunday that Iran will continue to fight “foreign aggression, foreign domination.”

A White House official told NPR that Trump plans to talk to Iran’s interim leadership “eventually,” but that for now, U.S. operations continue in the region “unabated.”

A large crowd of mourners fill Enghelab Square in Tehran on Sunday, following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

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