Amazon union vote in Alabama draws 55 percent turnout

More than half of the employees at Amazon’s Bessemer, Ala., warehouse voted in the high-stakes union election, according to the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

Turnout exceeded the labor group’s expectations, with more than 3,200 ballots submitted to the National Labor Relations Board. More than 5,800 workers were eligible to vote.

But the turnout does not give any clear indication of whether a majority of workers cast ballots to unionize.

The election formally ended March 29 and vote counting began last week via a private video call. The public portion of the vote count is expected to start as soon as Thursday afternoon, the union said.

Hundreds of challenged ballots still need to be addressed. If the vote margin is within the amount of challenged votes, the final tally will be delayed until they are resolved.

The Bessemer plant would become the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. if the workers ultimately vote to join the RWDSU.