Federal government slaps down Amazon’s attempt to delay mail-in union vote

The National Labor Relations Board on Friday struck down an attempt by Amazon to delay a mail-in union vote among its employees, claiming the company lacked standing to maintain that challenge. 

Amazon had filed an appeal to the NLRB seeking to halt a company “mail-ballot election” scheduled for Monday. The company cited the "significant amount of time and resources [necessary] to prepare and mail ballots for the election," and the potential for "substantial voter confusion" if procedures had to be altered following the mailing of the ballots. 

A regional NLRB director had earlier ordered Amazon to hold the mail-in election; Amazon's challenge to that order "raise[d] no substantial issues warranting review," the board said in its ruling. The overall motion to delay the election, meanwhile, was "denied as moot."

The election will decide whether Amazon’s nearly-6,000 employees at its Bessemer, Ala., warehouse will be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.