Amazon warehouse workers reject forming a union in Alabama | DW News

In a major blow to the organized labor movement in the US, Amazon warehouse workers in the state of Alabama have voted against forming a union. It would have been the first Amazon union in the US.

But on Friday, the ecommerce titan won a resounding victory against the unionization drive led by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. Workers cast 1,798 votes against a union, while ballots favoring one, came in at 738. Although the vote involved a single Amazon facility in one state, the effort drew much attention and high-profile political support - as it was seen as a bellwether for the future of labor activism - especially in big tech companies.

And staying with labor...the American employment market is bouncing back strongly. Employers hired nearly a million people in March. But Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has warned for months that many jobs lost to the pandemic - aren't going to come back.

In the New York borough of Queens, thousands of residents now depend on food banks. Among them are people who previously donated to such causes - and now - after losing their jobs - rely on charity themselves.

In the line: laid off cleaners, chefs and mechanics. Since the pandemic, the US economy has shed 8.4 million jobs. US Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell warns many of them may never return.

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