Amazon, Bessemer, Alabama (AP Photo / Jay Reeves)
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March 13, 2021 Organizers attempting to form the first syndicate in an Amazon warehouse in the US get the support of another big name: the anti-racist movement Black Lives Matter (BLM).
The group plans an event for Saturday to be held near the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama.
Union organizers point out that most of the headquarters workers are black and that Black Lives Matter's support could help further legitimize the cause.
This is the main union push in Amazon's 30-year history.
The organizers are demanding higher wages, longer breaks and that the company treat workers with respect.
Workers at the Bessemer plant have just over two weeks left to vote on whether they want to join a union.
A majority of the 6,000 workers must vote 'yes' for the union to be formed.
The votes will be counted starting from March 30th.
"Black workers have historically been the cornerstone of this country, its institutions and innovation," said Patrisse Cullors, executive director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.
"So - he adds - it is fully within our rights and dignity to be treated and rewarded fairly. Just as we have the right to live, we have the right to work".
Other well-known names who have backed the union push include Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, and Stacey Abrams, once a Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia.
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio also expressed his support for the organizers on Friday.
US President Joe Biden released a two-minute video earlier this month claiming that workers in Alabama and the country have the right to join unions without corporate intimidation, but he did not explicitly mention Amazon.