Amazon warehouse workers in seven major US metro areas, from New York City to San Francisco, walked off the job today – leaving many online shoppers wondering how this strike might impact their holiday shopping.
Taking place at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Thursday, it’s not only the “largest” strike against Amazon to date, but also timed to coincide with the holiday shopping rush to gain more leverage against the corporate retail giant.
That’s according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents about 10,000 Amazon warehouse workers across 10 locations.
The strike also hit facilities in Atlanta, Georgia; Skokie, Illinois; and two other locations in California.
On Wednesday, Teamsters' General President Sean O'Brien called out the online retailer, "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. This strike is on them,” he said.
Workers claim that “despite being worth more than $2 trillion, Amazon fails to pay its workers enough to make ends meet.”
The Amazon Teamsters are striking nationwide “to win union recognition, a Teamsters contract, and to end Amazon's exploitation and greed!” the Teamsters said in a series of posts on X.
Amazon Teamsters are making history with the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history.
undefined Teamsters (@Teamsters) December 19, 2024
The Teamsters will continue to take the fight to Amazon at every facility until the e-commerce giant follows the law and bargains a fair union contract with its workers. pic.twitter.com/uHE10h0i4D
The Teamsters have also stated that workers at hundreds of other facilities were prepared to join in on the strike, but so far that as not happened.
Still, even with the strike, it seems last-minute shoppers can breathe easy.
Amazon, on Thursday, said it did not foresee any impact on its operations during one of its busiest (and most profitable) times of the year.
To put it in perspective, Amazon employs more than 800,000 workers at its US warehouses with more than 600 fulfillment centers and delivery stations, including same-day facilities.
Out of that amount, less than 1% of its hourly employees, or about 7,000 workers, are represented by the teamsters union. Furthermore, in major metropolitan areas, Amazon has multiple facilities.
Amazon say Teamsters are bullies
In response to the Teamster's warnings, Amazon – the second largest US employer behind Walmart – further said that the union reps had "intentionally misled the public" and "threatened, intimidated and attempted to coerce" Amazon workers, as well as other third-party delivery drivers to join in on the walkout.
“There are a lot of nuances here but I want to be clear, the Teamsters don’t represent any Amazon employees despite their claims to the contrary,” said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel, referring to Amazon's striking delivery drivers.
“This entire narrative is a PR play and the Teamsters’ conduct this past year, and this week is illegal," the statement said. Still. the workers argue, even if an employee is contracted by Amazon though an outside source, they are beholden to Amazon's rules and working conditions.
New York Congressman Jerry Nadler, serving New York City’s 12th district in central Manhattan, spoke in support of the strike on X, stating it was “time for Amazon to come to the table and recognize their workers” who want to unionize.
“Every worker in America deserves the right to join a union and collectively bargain for wages, benefits, and working conditions. That’s why @AmazonTeamsters are on strike across the country today,” he said.
Every worker in America deserves the right to join a union and collectively bargain for wages, benefits, and working conditions. That’s why @AmazonTeamsters are on strike across the country today.
undefined Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) December 19, 2024
It’s time for Amazon to come to the table and recognize them as @Teamsters. https://t.co/lqPtCSOsjQ
The Teamsters had given Amazon a deadline of this past Sunday, December 15th, to begin negotiations. Warehouse workers had previously voted to authorize a strike if the deadline passed with no action.
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, Reuters reported.
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