Teamsters Union Calls for Strike at Amazon Facilities
New York, December 18 (Reuters) – Thousands of Amazon.com workers, represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, are planning a walkout on Thursday, December 21st, in the lead-up to the busy holiday shopping season. Union officials stated that the action is in response to the company’s perceived failure to negotiate fair contracts.
The proposed strike presents a challenge to Amazon’s operations during its most critical time of the year. However, the unionized facilities represent only approximately 1% of Amazon’s hourly workforce. Despite this, the potential disruption comes at a crucial period of the holiday season for the retail giant. The Teamsters have asserted that they are seeking contract guarantees that address better wages and working conditions for the workers.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters confirmed that workers at facilities in New York City, Skokie, Illinois, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Southern California will participate in the strike. According to the Teamsters, this involves approximately 10,000 workers across ten Amazon facilities in the U.S., with the walkout affecting seven of those locations.
An Amazon spokesperson, Kelly Nantel, responded to the union’s announcement by stating that the Teamsters’ claim of representing thousands of Amazon employees is misleading. “They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative,” Nantel said, adding that the company views the union’s tactics as illegal. Amazon has indicated that the Teamsters have allegedly threatened, intimidated, and coerced employees and third-party drivers to join the union, leading to multiple pending unfair labor practice charges.
The Teamsters had earlier set a Sunday deadline for Amazon to begin negotiations. Workers at various facilities have since authorized the strike through voting.
Teamsters local unions plan to establish picket lines at hundreds of Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide, as per the union’s statement. Benjamin Sachs, a Harvard Law School professor of labor and industry, commented on the situation, suggesting Amazon may be intentionally avoiding negotiations. “Amazon clearly has developed a strategy of ignoring their workers’ rights to collectively organize and negotiate,” Sachs observed. He highlighted the fact that, even after workers at a Staten Island warehouse voted to unionize over two years ago, Amazon has yet to formally recognize the group.
Jake Rosenfeld, a sociology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, who has studied unions, stated that Amazon likely does not have legal pressure to bargain, and that the strategy of ignoring worker demands has been successful. He stated, “It’s been a very successful strategy, the work continues there and there is still no contract.” Earlier this year, Amazon announced a $2.1 billion investment to raise pay for fulfillment and transportation employees in the U.S., increasing base wages for employees by at least $1.50 to around $22 per hour, a roughly 7% increase.
In recent years, Amazon has faced worker walkouts in various regions, including Spain and Germany, due to disputes over pay and working conditions. Given its position as the world’s second-largest private employer, Amazon has long been a target for unionization efforts. Some workers have cited concerns about workplace safety and the impact of the company’s focus on efficiency. Amazon, in response, has highlighted its industry-leading wages and investments in automation to mitigate repetitive-stress injuries.
The company is anticipating additional union actions in the future. Workers at a Philadelphia Whole Foods recently filed to hold a union election, and an administrative judge ordered a third union election at an Alabama warehouse following rulings that Amazon had acted unlawfully to thwart unionization efforts.
