The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has declared that workers at seven Amazon facilities will initiate a strike on Thursday morning. This move by the union aims to exert pressure on the e-commerce giant to engage in labor negotiations during a crucial shopping period.
The Teamsters revealed that the workers, who recently authorized strikes, are joining the picket line following Amazon's failure to meet a contract negotiation deadline set by the union on December 15. Despite the impending strike, Amazon has stated that it does not anticipate any significant disruptions to its operations during what the union describes as the largest strike against the company in U.S. history.
Representing nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, the Teamsters account for a fraction of the 1.5 million individuals employed by Amazon across its warehouses and corporate offices.
One of the warehouses, situated in New York City's Staten Island borough, has seen thousands of workers align with the Amazon Labor Union in 2022 and subsequently affiliate with the Teamsters. At other facilities, employees, including numerous delivery drivers, have unionized by demonstrating majority support without undergoing government-administered elections.
The strikes scheduled for Thursday will occur at one Amazon warehouse in San Francisco, California, and six delivery stations in southern California, New York City, Atlanta, Georgia, and Skokie, Illinois, according to the union's announcement. The Teamsters have indicated that Amazon workers at additional facilities are prepared to join the strike.
Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien expressed, 'Amazon is pushing its workers closer to the picket line by failing to show them the respect they have earned.'
Amazon has been seeking to challenge the election that resulted in the union's victory at the Staten Island warehouse, now represented by the Teamsters. The company has filed a lawsuit contesting the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board.
Regarding the delivery drivers organized by the Teamsters for over a year, Amazon asserts that these individuals are not its employees. According to Amazon's business model, the drivers are employed by third-party entities known as Delivery Service Partners, responsible for delivering millions of packages to customers daily.
In response to the Teamsters' claims, an Amazon spokesperson, Kelly Nantel, stated, 'For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that they represent thousands of Amazon employees and drivers. They don't, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative.'
The Teamsters argue that Amazon exerts significant control over the drivers' activities and should be classified as their employer. Some U.S. labor regulators have supported the union's stance in submissions made to the NLRB. In September, Amazon raised pay for the drivers amidst mounting pressure.
