Fear of replacement is the main obstacle to Amazon unionization.

Evidence

The struggle for unionization of Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, peaked in the summer of 2022. The primary reason most employees were afraid to vote in favor of a union fighting for more humane working hours and conditions was the intimidating threat of being replaced. Employers speak a universal language: “Don’t like the working conditions? Fine, we’ll relocate to another part of the country where people can’t wait to be hired and work for us.” — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 257

Categorization

• XREF: Concrete, recent instance of the reserve-army mechanism operating in contemporary US labor.