Amazon is all but sure to defeat another union drive. We went to its warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, to find out why.
But to many of the workers Insider spoke with, even those who reported feeling pain at work, Amazon didn't feel like a dangerous workplace.
The starting pay is $15.80 an hour, or about $32,000 a year, in line with the average individual income for the county. Most of the 21 workers who spoke with Insider said their pay rose when they came to Amazon, in some cases by as much as 50%. Couch was rapidly promoted to learning ambassador, a role that involved training an endless stream of new hires, but no pay increase. Couch, who voted against the union, said she was pleased by the recognition and hoped the role would help her land another promotion. An Amazon spokesperson said more than 450 employees have been promoted at BHM1 since the facility opened two years ago.
Some workers said the company could pay more. Like many parts of the country, the area around Bessemer is crunched for labor, propelling wage inflation, said Donny Jones, the chief operating officer of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama. The CVS warehouse in Bessemer pays $17 an hour. At the Wayne Farms poultry plant in Decatur, starting pay is up to $18, plus a $3,000 retention bonus.
Company representatives also repeated that nothing was guaranteed during contract negotiations, some workers who spoke with Insider said. They said that left them with the impression that a union contract would mean lower wages or worse benefits. Another worker, who asked not to be named, said he had voted against the union because he worried contract negotiations would mean lower wages."If it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said.
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