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Comment by alexk307 | Hacker News Reader

> Employees cast 2,654 votes to be represented by Amazon Labor Union and 2,131 against, giving the union a win by more than 10 percentage points, according to the National Labor Relations Board. More than 8,300 workers at the building

This is just sad. Just a hair over 50% of the eligible voters voted; weirdly, approximately the same voter turnout for US elections historically. Does half of any given population just not care enough to vote for something?

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Part of anti-unionization tactics is making employees uncomfortable about even discussing or associating with the topic. Management uses captive audience meetings to personally guilt the employees, which makes employees just want the whole thing to be over with because it’s so uncomfortable. Nobody likes being made to feel guilty but they need a job and don’t really know whats going on; they just want the drama to be over with so they avoid it as best they can.

Not care is a part of it. But "they're both the same," "it doesn't matter," "I think ___ crazy thing from the internet" are more common imho.

I work in politics and it drives me nuts the self reinforcing idea that your vote doesn't matter.

Combined with false equivalences and inflexibility to see a larger viewpoint (that no one will get 100% 1:1 policy representation) just lets older people who consistently vote run away with it.

There is also entrenched structural problems as a result of R control, especially state & county level. That is also a part of low turnout.

Perhaps roughly half of the eligible voters correctly estimated that the chance of their vote affecting the outcome is exceedingly low and that the cost of voting (even if it's just a few minutes of time) is not worth that small chance of affecting the outcome.

Or scared of repercussions for voting one way or the other, from employer on one hand or peers on the other.

So, approximately, 25% of the workforce feel strongly about wanting a union so as to vote for it. Admittedly, only 20% feel strongly against it so to try and stop it. Makes it tough for either side to claim a proper mandate.

Getting involved puts them at risk of retaliation. I wouldn't be surprised if that causes chilling effects on voter turnout or involvement in organizing.

all of which is illegal, but proving it is damn hard and expensive.

Basically 30% of the workforce is setting rules for the whole. The vote should require a majority of all workers, not just those not voting, to approve the union.

Short answer? Yes.

Long answer probably involves value systems and what individuals are actually doing on that day…

Most people are just doing the job for a few weeks for extra cash. It’s not a career. That’s the benefit to most people. This union is a joke.

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