Amazon gains enough votes to defeat union drive at Alabama warehouse

Amazon has gained enough votes to defeat a union drive that would have established the company's first US union, according to an ongoing tally of the vote.

The vote count against unionization reached over 1608, the simple majority needed for either side to prevail, on Friday. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which is behind the Bessemer union drive, may contest the results. The union election, which took place by mail over a nearly two-month period due to the pandemic, received national attention, with celebrities, politicians -- including President Biden -- and employees at other Amazon facilities all lending public support to workers driving the unionization effort.