Bessemer Amazon Fulfillment Center: Difference between revisions
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[[Gray Construction]] broke ground for the fulfillment center in October [[2018]] for an expected Summer [[2019]] opening. A number of officials toured the unopened facility in May [[2019]]. In March the retailer announced that while construction was on schedule, the opening of the center would be delayed until some time in [[2020]] based on demand. The center opened in April, coinciding with increased demand for mail-order products during the [[2020 Coronavirus pandemic]]. | [[Gray Construction]] broke ground for the fulfillment center in October [[2018]] for an expected Summer [[2019]] opening. A number of officials toured the unopened facility in May [[2019]]. In March the retailer announced that while construction was on schedule, the opening of the center would be delayed until some time in [[2020]] based on demand. The center opened in April, coinciding with increased demand for mail-order products during the [[2020 Coronavirus pandemic]]. | ||
[[File:2020 Amazon Bessemer union reps.jpg|left|thumb|250px|RWDSU reps promoting unionization of the Bessemer Amazon Fulfillment Center]] | |||
Sorting and stocking of merchandise is largely carried out by hundreds of robots. The various areas in the fulfillment center are connected by 22 miles of conveyor belts. | Sorting and stocking of merchandise is largely carried out by hundreds of robots. The various areas in the fulfillment center are connected by 22 miles of conveyor belts. | ||
In [[2020]] workers at the Bessemer Amazon Fulfillment Center notified the National Labor Relations Board of a pending vote on whether to seek representation as part of the [[Mid-South Council of the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union]]. | In [[2020]] workers at the Bessemer Amazon Fulfillment Center notified the National Labor Relations Board of a pending vote on whether to seek representation as part of the [[RWDSU Mid-South Council|Mid-South Council of the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union]]. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 10:17, 22 February 2021
The Bessemer Amazon Fulfillment Center is an 850,000 square-foot warehouse and fulfillment center constructed by Amazon on a 133-acre site near Bessemer City High School at 975 Powder Plant Road in Bessemer.
Recruitment of Amazon and the negotiation of public incentives took place under the code name "Project Bluebird". Partners in the deal included the Alabama Department of Commerce, Alabama Department of Transportation, Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT), the Jefferson County Commission, the City of Bessemer, the Bessemer Industrial Development Board, the Birmingham Business Alliance and the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, along with the Alabama Power Company and Spire. Cushman & Wakefield and EGS Commercial Real Estate were involved in the sale of the property, formerly owned by U.S. Steel.
In May 2018 the right-of-way for Old Powder Plant Road was abandoned and the property was rezoned for industrial uses. Announcement of the $325 million development project followed in June. The fulfillment center was expected to employ around 1,500 workers at an average wage of $14 per hour.
Gray Construction broke ground for the fulfillment center in October 2018 for an expected Summer 2019 opening. A number of officials toured the unopened facility in May 2019. In March the retailer announced that while construction was on schedule, the opening of the center would be delayed until some time in 2020 based on demand. The center opened in April, coinciding with increased demand for mail-order products during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.
Sorting and stocking of merchandise is largely carried out by hundreds of robots. The various areas in the fulfillment center are connected by 22 miles of conveyor belts.
In 2020 workers at the Bessemer Amazon Fulfillment Center notified the National Labor Relations Board of a pending vote on whether to seek representation as part of the Mid-South Council of the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union.
References
- Holloway, Seth (May 17, 2018) "Bessemer Approves Zoning For 855,000 Square Foot Facility Off Powder Plant Road. What is coming ????" [sic] The Cutoff News
- "Amazon Chooses Bessemer, Alabama for Fulfillment Center." (June 25, 2018) Area Development
- Koplowitz, Howard (March 18, 2019) "Amazon delays opening of Bessemer fulfillment center; may not launch until 2020." The Birmingham News
- Thornton, William (May 9, 2019) "‘Awe-inspiring’ Amazon center taking shape in Bessemer." The Birmingham News
- Thornton, William (April 16, 2020) "Amazon up and running in Bessemer, and still hiring" The Birmingham News
- Sheets, Connor (November 23, 2020) "Bessemer Amazon warehouse workers take official step toward unionizing." The Birmingham News
- Day, Matt & Spencer Soper (December 18, 2020) "How Amazon drove Alabama warehouse workers to unionize." Bloomberg News / The Birmingham News
- Corkery, Michael & Karen Weise (January 25, 2021) "Amazon Union Drive Takes Hold in Unlikely Place." The New York Times