Will Amazon Regret Its Anti-union Actions?

#332: Alternatives To Amazon

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In the wake of the recent employee vote in Bessemer, Alabama to not unionize an Amazon warehouse, the question occurred to me: Does Amazon know what's best for its bottom line?

The knee-jerk reaction of any big business is to want to remain union-free.  But what about the down-side to appearing less than magnanimous?  Today's Rolling Stone newsletter, for example, featured a list of Amazon alternatives.  The likely reason that article appeared ties in with Amazon's anti-union actions.  

And if Amazon begins to be seen as a Goliath, whose founder is not only the richest person in the world, but whose management denies a middle-class lifestyle to its employees, the damage to the Amazon brand could be far more serious than the cost of treating employees generously.

Granted, some customers could go elsewhere if prices were to rise too high, but with its inherent price advantage over competitors with smaller sized operations, goodwill would seem the more important factor.  Besides, being a 'team' player may be all that's standing between Amazon and anti-trust legislation.