Amazon offers $2,000 'resignation bonuses' to break union action

Amazon workers in a union would be able to demand higher adequate salaries and better working conditions at the company's warehouses

Amazon is reportedly offering $2,000 in 'resignation bonuses' to its workers if they decide to quit the company before an upcoming union election in Alabama.

According to Payday Report, employees in Bessemer, Alabama who have worked for Amazon through two peak seasons are eligible to receive $2,000, while employees who have worked for at least three peak seasons will get $3,000.

Payday Report claims that some employees have been told that the company might hire them back after the union drive is over. Labour observers expect Amazon to hire replacements, at least in the short-term, who are firmly anti-union.

Nearly 6,000 Amazon workers in Bessemer are set to cast votes on 29th March in a historic election, to decide whether the Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union (RWDSU) should represent them.

Forming a labour union would enable Amazon workers to demand hgiher salaries, as well as better working conditions at the company's warehouses.

'Amazon presents a threat to the very fabric of society and the social contract we work to uphold for all working people,' the organisers from RWDSU state on their site 'BAmazonUnion'.

This will be Amazon's first unionisation vote in years, although it is no secret that Amazon is no fan of organised labour.

The company has reportedly sent text messages to workers at the warehouse, asking them to attend anti-union meetings, despite the company's own social distancing policy. The firm has allegedly worked with local authorities to get them to speed up traffic light switching outside the plant, so union organisers don't have time to hand out literature to passing workers.

Earlier this month, the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) denied Amazon's motion, filed in January, to review its earlier decision to hold the milestone vote for workers by mail.

Amazon said it was disappointed, claiming it goes against the firm's goal of getting as many workers as possible to vote in the election and preferring to delay until the pandemic subsides.

According to Motherboard, Amazon's voluntary resignation programme - called 'The Offer' - is an annual one, and the tech giant runs it nationally each February.

'I researched and found out they do it at a lot of facilities and what not. But it was a good time to do it now in Bessemer,' Michael Foster, one of the leaders of Bessemer's union drive, told Motherboard.

'That could hurt the votes.'

'If [current employees] quit, the vote won't count. To me it's just to prevent the people from getting the union in. They need to thin out some people. It's kind of a polite way to do it.'

Amazon tactics could also backfire, as union supporters can argue that if Amazon can afford to pay 'resignation bonuses' to its workers, it can easily pay more for their salaries.

There is also a chance that Amazon's 'resignation bonuses' could constitute interference in the election process, resulting in the election being thrown out if the organisers lose. Federal labour law in the USA prevents employers from improving workers' material conditions in the run-up to a union vote.

An Amazon spokesperson told Motherboard that 'The Offer' is a voluntary programme, 'designed to provide extra support' to workers who decide that Amazon isn't part of their long-term career plan.

It has been 'offered every year since 2014,' the spokesperson added.

Speaking about the upcoming union election, Amazon worker Jennifer Bates said, "I think there is this wall in front of me right now, and it's because I can't see what's on the other side."

"I think a lot of times in life, that's when you really have to take a step. Because just because you don't see what's on the other side, doesn't mean that's not victory."