Amazon workers in various warehouses across the United States, including locations in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco, and Skokie, Illinois, began a strike early Thursday. The Teamsters union, backing the workers, has called this the most significant strike against the e-commerce giant, happening just before the Christmas holiday. The union also plans to set up main picket lines at several Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide.
Sean M. O’Brien, the general president of the Teamsters union, has criticized Amazon’s corporate practices, blaming any potential holiday package delays on the company’s “unquenchable greed.” The union had set a deadline of December 15 for Amazon to begin negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement, a deadline that Amazon did not meet.
In response, Amazon has disputed the Teamsters’ allegations, accusing the union of unlawfully pressuring workers to join. The Teamsters claim to represent 10,000 of Amazon’s employees, a figure that Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel disputes. Nantel stated that the Teamsters have been misleading the public for over a year, falsely claiming to represent thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.
Amazon employs approximately 1.5 million people in its warehouses and corporate offices. The company recently increased the starting minimum wage for its drivers and workers in fulfillment centers by 20%. As of September, the average base wage was raised to $22 per hour, according to a company spokesperson.
At the Staten Island warehouse, thousands of workers voted for the Amazon Labor Union in 2022 and have since affiliated with the Teamsters. At other facilities, employees, including many delivery drivers, have shown majority support for unionization without holding government-administered elections.
The Seattle-based online retailer has been seeking to redo the election that led to the union victory at the warehouse on Staten Island, which the Teamsters now represents. In response, the company has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board.