NOW THIS MORNING, BALLOTS ARE
EXPECTED TO BE COUNTED IN
ALABAMA TO DETERMINE WHETHER
AMAZON WAREHOUSE WORKERS THERE
WANT TO UNIONIZE IF PASSED
WOULD BE THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL
ORGANIZING EFFORT IN THE U.S.
IN THE COMPANY'S HISTORY. CNBC
CORRESPONDENT KATE RODGERS
JOINS US NOW TO BREAK THIS
DOWN FOR US. HEY, KATE, GOOD
MORNING. SO BRING US UP TO
SPEED FIRST ON THIS PARTICULAR
UNION. BUT I KNOW IT'S THE
SECOND TIME. AMAZON WORKERS IN
ALABAMA HAVE VOTED. SO WHAT
HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME AROUND
AND WHAT WE THINK COULD HAPPEN
TODAY.
>> THERE'S ABOUT A WALL. THIS
IS THE SECOND TIME, AS YOU
MENTIONED, THAT THEY VOTED
LAST MONTH. THE NATIONAL LABOR
RELATIONS BOARD BEGAN MAILING
OUT BALLOTS TO EMPLOYEES AT
AMAZON'S BESSEMER, ALABAMA
WAREHOUSE IS PART OF A RERUN
ELECTION. THE NLRB AUTHORIZED
THE SECOND ELECTION AT THE
SITE AFTER IT DETERMINED THAT
AMAZON ILLEGALLY INTERFERED IN
THE VOTE, WHICH INITIALLY TOOK
PLACE LAST SPRING. NOW IN THAT
ELECTION EMPLOYEES VOTED
OVERWHELMINGLY AGAINST JOINING
THE RETAIL WHOLESALE AND
DEPARTMENT STORE UNION.
THERE'S ALSO A COUNT UNDER WAY
AT AMAZON'S WAREHOUSE IN
STATEN ISLAND. THESE COUNTS.
REMEMBER, ARE VERY HIGH STAKES
FOR AMAZON AND THE WORKERS
THERE BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY
MORE ELIGIBLE VOTERS IN THESE
WAREHOUSES. THEN YOU'D SEE AT
A SINGLE STARBUCKS OR AN R E I
STILL WOULD HAVE HAD SOME
SUCCESS IN ORGANIZING. I SPOKE
TO ONE WORKER SAID THERE'S
ABOUT 6,000 OF THEM. THERE HE
IS ON THE UNION SIDE AND HE
FEELS CONFIDENT THAT THEY'LL
GET A ALL RIGHT. NOW, KATE,
THIS REALLY THOUGH, IS A STORY
THAT'S BIGGER THAN JUST
AMAZON. I MEAN, YOU JUST
MENTION SOME COMPANIES THAT
WE'VE SEEN SOME OF THESE
EFFORTS FROM WE'RE SEEING MORE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY FROM
WORKERS.
>> FROM OTHER REALLY LARGE
COMPANIES. SEVERAL OF THEM.
WALK US THROUGH WHAT'S GOTTEN
US HERE. YEAH. SO AFTER THE
GREAT RECESSION OF WORK THAT
SO MANY UNDERWENT DURING THE
PANDEMIC CAME THE GREAT
RESIGNATION WE ALL REMEMBER.
AND NOW IT SEEMS THERE'S A
NEWLY SPARK INTEREST IN
UNIONIZING WORKERS ARE
DECIDING TO USE THEIR POWER TO
PUSH FOR BETTER PAY AND
WORKING CONDITIONS. SOME OF
THE WORKERS AND I'VE SPOKEN TO
INTERESTINGLY SEEM KEEN TO
IMPROVE THINGS FOR THEMSELVES
AND THEIR CO-WORKERS FOR YEARS
TO COME BY ORGANIZING AND
COLLECTIVELY BARGAINING.
>> EVEN IF THEY DON'T STAY IN
THESE JOBS FOR EVER. TAKE A
LISTEN TO A RECENTLY UNIONIZED
ARI, I WORKER WE SPOKE TO IN
NEW YORK CITY.
>> REGARDLESS OF WHERE MY
PERSONAL JOURNEY TAKES ME. I
AM STILL ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED
TO THE UNION DRIVE SO THAT
THESE BENEFITS CAN BE PUT IN
PLACE AN ESTABLISHED AND LEGAL
CONTRACT CAN BE ESTABLISHED TO
HAVE IN WRITING CLEAR AND
CONCISE OUTLINES AND
BOUNDARIES OF THIS JOB ENTAILS
AND WHAT BENEFITS WE DESERVE.
>> ANOTHER THING HERE. A LOT
OF THESE WORKERS ARE VERY
YOUNG SAVANNAH, PARTICULARLY
AT STARBUCKS STARBUCKS WORKERS
UNITED. THANKS A LOT OF THE
WORKERS PUSHING THE DRIVER IN
THEIR EARLY 20'S. WOW.
>> NOW. WHAT KIND OF IMPACT
ARE THESE UNIONIZING EFFORTS
HAVING ON COMPANIES I KNOW IT
CAN BE SOMEWHAT COMPLICATED. I
MEAN, OF COURSE THESE GO TO
VOTES. BUT A LOT OF TIMES IT'S
GOING TO VOTE AS A COMPANY IS
SORT OF CAMPAIGNING AGAINST
THAT HAPPENING IT IS A COMPANY
BEING VIEWED AS ANTI-UNION.
SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS WHETHER
CUSTOMER AND WHAT'S THE BIGGER
PICTURE HERE.
>> AND DON'T FORGET CUSTOMERS
AND SHAREHOLDERS RIGHT. IT'S A
DELICATE DANCE WITH PLEASING
EVERYONE HERE. SO COMPANIES
LIKE STARBUCKS ARE SEEING THIS
MOVEMENT SPREAD QUICKLY WITH
MORE THAN A 150 STORES WITH
THAT COMPANY SEEKING TO VOTE
AND ORGANIZED WITH THE NLRB.
NOW IT'S HAD EXECUTIVES HAD TO
CITIES WHERE WORKERS ARE
ORGANIZING ENCOURAGE THEM TO
VOTE NO ON ORGANIZING AS IT
FEELS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH
ITS WORKERS IS BEST SERVED
WITHOUT A 3RD PARTY IN BETWEEN
THE 2, BUT IT SAYS IT WILL
ALSO RESPECT THE PROCESS
WORKERS CLAIM THAT'S
ANTI-UNION IT PUTS PUBLIC
COMPANIES IN A TOUGH SPOT
BECAUSE SOME SHAREHOLDERS MAY
NOT BE HAPPY THAT THESE DRIVES
ARE HAPPENING AND OTHERS MAY
NOT BE THRILLED. THE COMPANIES
ARE GETTING INVOLVED AND
ASKING WORKERS TO VOTE AGAINST
THE UNION. SO IT'S TRYING TO
PLEASE EVERYONE IS TRYING TO
TOW THAT LINE. YOU DON'T WANT
TO NECESSARILY HAVE A RERUN
VOTE WITH THEIR WHAT THEY'RE
HAVING RATHER AMAZON BECAUSE
THEY WERE ACCUSED AND FOUND
GUILTY OF MEDDLING IN THE
ELECTION. SO IT'S DELICATE
BALANCE THERE FOR A LOT OF
THESE PUBLIC COMPANIES IN
PARTICULAR. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH THERE.
ALL RIGHT, KATE, THANK YOU SO