Another union of high profile professional athletes is lending its support to the organizing effort at Amazon’s Bessemer fulfillment center.
The Major League Baseball Players Association released a statement today, urging employees at the center, known as BHM1, to vote “yes” in an ongoing election regarding representation by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
Votes will be counted March 30. More than 5,000 workers are taking part.
The statement, shared on social media, says that workers at Amazon “deserve a meaningful voice in determining their working conditions in a company whose value has risen to $1.6 trillion in recent years due in large part to a dedicated workforce that has helped it become the world’s leading retailer.”
“The MLBPA encourages you to vote ‘yes’ and work together in a union to create better lives for yourselves, your families, your co-workers and future generations of workers,” the statement reads.
Here is full coverage of the Alabama Amazon unionization effort
The MLBPA represents players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers contracted with Major League Baseball clubs.
It’s the latest endorsement among several unions and public figures. In January, the National Football League Players Association, the union representing more than 2,000 NFL players in the U.S., released a video in support of the union drive.
The organizing push has also received endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, unions representing TV and film writers, actor and activist Danny Glover, as well as a statement of support from President Joe Biden.