Staff Reporter
‘If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed’
Amazon workers at 7 warehouses across the United States walked off the job early Thursday, aiming to pressure the company into contract negotiations with their union during the busy holiday shopping period.
Warehouse employees in cities like New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco are participating in what the International Brotherhood of Teamsters calls the “largest” strike against Amazon, representing about 10,000 workers across 10 facilities.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Teamsters general president Sean O’Brien said late Wednesday.
“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.”
The union had set a December 15 deadline for Amazon to begin negotiations, and workers recently voted to authorize the strike. Amazon, however, stated it does not anticipate any significant impact on its operations.
A company spokesperson accused the union of “intentionally misleading the public” and of “threatening, intimidating, and attempting to coerce” employees and third-party drivers to join the strike.
Unionized facilities make up only 1% of Amazon’s hourly workforce. Areas like New York City have multiple warehouses and smaller delivery depots, which could help mitigate any potential strike effects.
Observers believe Amazon is unlikely to engage in negotiations, as doing so could lead to further union actions. The company employs more than 1.5 million people globally and has expressed a preference for direct relationships with its workers.
In premarket trading, Amazon’s shares were slightly higher, indicating that investors do not expect a major disruption from the strike.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced a $2.1 billion investment to increase pay for fulfillment and transportation employees in the U.S., raising base wages by at least $1.50 to around $22 per hour, a roughly 7% increase.
