Amazon union votes are still being counted but there's already a controversy

In most situations, a mailbox is just a mailbox. But in the milestone union election at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, a mailbox installed earlier this year threatens to upend the whole process -- or at least become a focus for the union if it loses the vote. The public tally began Thursday afternoon.

Just hours before the public counting began, news broke from The Washington Post of emails showing that Amazon had urged the US Postal Service to install the mailbox ahead of the election, an election that could lead to the first US-based Amazon union. The emails, which were between USPS employees, are partially redacted and were obtained by the union backing the election through the Freedom of Information Act. The union has called for an investigation by the National Labor Relations Board into the matter.