Amazon Faces Accusations of Anti-Union Tactics in Alabama Warehouse
A new study published in the journal Socius alleges that Amazon used a range of techniques, including algorithmic management and surveillance, to discourage employees at a Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse from unionizing. The research, titled “Weaponizing the Workplace: How Algorithmic Management Shaped Amazon’s Antiunion Campaign in Bessemer, Alabama,” was conducted by Teke Wiggin, a researcher at Northwestern University.
The study focuses on the 2021 union vote at the Bessemer warehouse, where employees ultimately voted against unionization. The report claims this outcome was partially due to Amazon’s implementation of algorithmic management practices.
Weaponizing the Workplace
The paper asserts that employers can “weaponize elements or effects of algorithmic management against unions.” This includes manipulating devices to control workers, using ‘algorithmic slack-cutting,’ and exploiting social media participation encouraged by algorithmic management.
‘Algorithmic slack-cutting,’ as defined in the report, refers to softening the automated oversight to appear beneficial. An example cited in the study is the temporary disabling of a Time-Off-Task (TOT) tracking system during the union campaign, allowing employees more leeway on breaks.
The report also details the equipment used by Amazon, described in prior research as “coercive control mechanisms.” This includes scanners used to register products and direct workers, which are also used for monitoring and discipline, and publicly ranking them.
Worker Concerns
The study documented how workstation displays presented workers with potentially coercive questions. Interviewees expressed concern that questions like “Does your manager care about you as a person?” could be used to gauge union sentiment or target managers.
“…during the union drive, some workers believed that these questions were adjusted and/or used to gauge union sympathies or purge disliked managers en masse,” the report explains.
Amazon’s Response
An Amazon spokesperson contested the study’s findings, denying that the company uses technology to surveil or manipulate workers. Regarding on-site equipment, the spokesperson stated, “this claim is false—the site is operating during a campaign or vote, so employees are still expected to perform their usual work.” They maintained that camera technology is used for security and the flow of goods, and that employees can take breaks as needed.
The spokesperson also stated that the A to Z app, which is used for employee tasks like requesting time off, is available to employees but not required. The app was used during the campaign, the report claims, to send anti-union messages to workers.
Study Methodology and Amazon’s Critique
Wiggin’s study is based on 42 in-depth interviews with Amazon workers and an analysis of court records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Amazon’s public relations team has questioned the study’s methodology, including the sample size and the lack of published proof that interviewees were employees.
Wiggin defended his research stating, “The workers were wearing their Amazon badges and uniforms or sent me pictures of them. I was in Bessemer right near the warehouse and visited the entrance a number of times. Are they actually questioning that? Forty-two interviewees is a pretty good sample for a context like that. Sixteen of my interviewees voted against the union. Much of what I report is corroborated by court transcripts and exhibits; these are cited in the paper.” He added that algorithmic management at Amazon is uniquely intense because it directs the physical movements of workers.
The ‘Electric Whip’ and Worker Injury
Wiggin argues that Amazon’s “electric whip” or electronic oversight is an especially significant issue, because it directly influences workers’ physical activity, leading to dehumanization. The resulting higher injury rates were a recurring point of concern throughout the study. Various reports have indeed found higher injury rates among Amazon workers compared to rival workplaces, a trend the company is currently addressing in safety updates.
Matt Scherer, senior policy counsel for workers’ rights and technology at the Center for Democracy & Technology, highlighted the long stagnation in federal labor protections. He pointed that the last major labor rights legislation was the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970.
