Amazon workers at seven warehouses walked out Thursday morning, launching a strike ahead of the holidays after Amazon failed to meet a bargaining deadline set by the Teamsters union representing the workers.
In a press release, Teamsters declared it "the largest strike against Amazon in US history." Teamsters general president, Sean O'Brien, warned shoppers of potential delays, saying "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," O’Brien said. "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."
The strike will impact warehouses in New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco, Southern California, and Skokie, Ill., with a looming threat that "Amazon Teamsters at other facilities are prepared to join them."
Amazon told Reuters that it does not expect the strike to impact deliveries, because "unions represent only about 1 percent of the workforce of Amazon" and "it has multiple locations in many metro areas."
Amazon “unlikely” to bargain, report says
The Teamsters have accused Amazon of union-busting and are demanding higher wages so that workers can "make ends meet" and "afford to pay" bills. Unionized workers also want safer work conditions and better benefits, the press release said.
In response, an Amazon spokesperson claimed to Reuters that the Teamsters have "intentionally misled the public" and allegedly "threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce" other workers into joining the fight.
In September, the $2 trillion company made historic concessions to drivers after years of organizing, paying $2.2 billion to improve driver safety and raise wages. They also invested $2.2 billion to raise the base salaries of hourly fulfillment workers to more than $22 an hour. But even then, warehouse workers vowed to keep on pushing, telling Ars that workers "made this $1.50 raise happen through our tireless organizing, and we'll keep fighting until we reach $25."
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) then filed charges in October against Amazon for allegedly refusing to bargain with drivers protesting over what they claim are low wages and dangerous work conditions. The charges followed workers' complaints that Amazon had apparently intimidated employees with security guards and illegally retaliated against workers unionizing.
According to Reuters, Amazon is "unlikely to come to the table to bargain" with workers striking during its busiest time of year, "as that could open the door to more union actions." Amazon is currently fighting the NLRB on two fronts in court—one challenging the 2022 Staten Island warehouse workers' vote to join Teamsters and the other challenging the constitutionality of the NLRB as a federal agency.
Striking Amazon workers striking expect that the e-commerce giant will lose. One warehouse worker in New York, Dia Ortiz, credited Teamsters' strength, saying "I’ve seen the Teamsters win big battles" and declaring “we’re ready to do what it takes to win this one.” Leah Pensler, another warehouse worker in San Francisco, echoed that optimism.
"We are fighting against a vicious union-busting campaign, and we are going to win,” Pensler said.
