Workers at seven Amazon facilities went on strike on Thursday as part of a Teamsters union effort to secure a labor contract during a crucial shopping period.
This strike was prompted by Amazon missing a contract negotiation deadline set by the Teamsters.
The big picture: The International Brotherhood of Teamsters claims to represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, but the union did not specify how many workers would participate in the strike or its expected duration.
- The strikes occurred at delivery stations in three locations in Southern California, and one each in New York City, Atlanta, Georgia, and Skokie, Illinois, according to the union’s announcement.
Go deeper: The largest warehouse affiliated with the Teamsters is the JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, New York, where workers voted to be represented by the Amazon Labor Union in 2022 and subsequently affiliated with the Teamsters. A lawsuit has been filed challenging the constitutionality of the labor board’s certification of this election.
- At six other facilities, employees, including many delivery drivers, unionized with the Teamsters, demonstrating majority support without holding government-administered elections, a rare practice under labor law.
What they’re saying: Amazon responded to the strike by claiming that the protesters were largely outsiders and not actual Amazon employees or partners.
- Amazon also stated that their delivery drivers work for third-party businesses, called Delivery Service Partners, and are not considered Amazon employees under the company’s business model.
- The Teamsters argued that Amazon essentially controls everything the drivers do and should be classified as an employer, a stance that has received support from some U.S. labor regulators in filings made before the NLRB. The union also accused Amazon of misleading the public.
