The Teamsters launched what the union described as “the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history” on Thursday morning to protest the e-commerce behemoth’s unlawful refusal to bargain with organized drivers and warehouse workers across the country.
Workers in New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco, and other locations are expected to participate in Thursday’s strike, with more facilities prepared to join if Amazon’s management doesn’t agree to negotiate contracts with unionized employees.
The union said Wednesday that Teamsters locals are also “putting up primary picket lines at hundreds of Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide.”
“Amazon warehouse workers and drivers without collective bargaining agreements have the legal right to honor these picket lines by withholding their labor,” the Teamsters said.
Sean O’Brien, the union’s president, said in a statement late Wednesday that “if your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed.” The Teamsters had given Amazon until December 15 to agree to contract talks.
“We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” said O’Brien. “These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, they’ve pushed workers to the limit and now they’re paying the price. This strike is on them.”
The Teamsters union represents roughly 10,000 workers at 10 facilities across the U.S., at least seven of which are taking part in Thursday’s walkout.
Leah Pensler, a warehouse worker at Amazon’s DCK6 facility in San Francisco, said that “what we’re doing is historic.”
“We are fighting against a vicious union-busting campaign, and we are going to win,” Pensler added.
Patience has run out for Amazon Teamsters. It’s time for the $2 trillion company to recognize our union and negotiate a Teamsters contract.
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) December 18, 2024
Every day, Amazon Teamsters at more facilities nationwide are getting strike ready to win the contract workers deserve at Amazon. pic.twitter.com/8FABN09DnN
Amazon, which has a market cap of over $2 trillion and spends big on anti-union consultants, insists it doesn’t have a legal obligation to bargain with the Teamsters and has accused the union of attempting to “coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them.”
But the National Labor Relations Board has said Amazon is a joint employer of its delivery drivers, meaning the company must bargain with workers who have joined the Teamsters.
“Amazon is one of the biggest, richest corporations in the world,” said Gabriel Irizarry, a driver at DIL7 in Skokie, Illinois. “They talk a big game about taking care of their workers, but when it comes down to it, Amazon does not respect us and our right to negotiate for better working conditions and wages. We can’t even afford to pay our bills.”
The strike comes months after the Amazon Labor Union, which successfully organized warehouse workers in Staten Island in 2022, voted to formally affiliate with the Teamsters in an effort to finally secure a contract. The JFK8 fulfillment center in Staten Island is among the facilities that have voted to authorize strikes.
“I’ve seen the Teamsters win big battles,” said Dia Ortiz, a worker at DBK4 in New York. “We’re ready to do what it takes to win this one.”
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