At 6 a.m. on Thursday, thousands of Amazon employees, organized by the Teamsters union, launched a strike after the company repeatedly failed to follow the law and negotiate fairly.
The strike involves Teamsters from seven Amazon locations in Skokie, Illinois; New York City; Atlanta; San Francisco; and Southern California, marking what the union describes as the “largest strike” against Amazon in U.S. history. The union also indicated that workers from additional facilities are prepared to join the action.
Despite Teamsters claiming to represent around 10,000 workers across 10 Amazon sites in the U.S., the company denies recognizing the union’s presence among its employees.
In response, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel accused the Teamsters of “intentionally [misleading] the public,” asserting that they do not represent Amazon workers or drivers. Nantel made this statement in a Fox Business report.
“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,” Nantel said. “The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union.”
Nantel also emphasized that Amazon does not anticipate any disruptions to its operations as a result of the strike.
Teamsters representative Kara Deniz countered Amazon’s statement, accusing the company of manipulating public perception with false narratives.
“The truth is, over 20 bargaining units, representing nearly 9,000 employees have successfully organized because for many years the company has exploited and abused workers, and these workers are fed up and fighting back,” Deniz said.
“No matter how massive Amazon’s corporate PR machine is, they cannot fool the American public into believing drivers delivering Amazon packages in Amazon-branded vans don’t actually work for Amazon,” Deniz continued. “No one believes this nonsense. Amazon needs to stop avoiding their legal obligation to these workers and get to the bargaining table now.”
The strike follows Amazon’s disregard for the union’s Dec. 15 deadline to negotiate better wages, improved benefits, and safer working conditions.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in the release.
He continued: “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.”
Teamsters stated that primary picket lines will be set up at Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide, and workers without collective bargaining agreements have the legal right to withhold their labor in solidarity.
“Amazon is one of the biggest, richest corporations in the world,” said Gabriel Irizarry, a driver at DIL7 in Skokie. “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.”
In response, Amazon claimed its employees already receive competitive pay, immediate health benefits, a 401k match, and career growth opportunities, with the company’s average base wage rising to $22 per hour in September.
On Wednesday night, Teamsters took to X, stating that Amazon workers have reached their breaking point with the company and are preparing to fight for the contract they believe they deserve.
“What we’re doing is historic,” said Leah Pensler, a warehouse worker at DCK6 in San Francisco. “We are fighting against a vicious union-busting campaign, and we are going to win.”
{Matzav.com}
