Amazon workers are striking once again during the holiday shopping rush.
Thousands of employees from the global e-commerce giant walked off the job Thursday morning, joining a campaign initiated by the Teamsters union. The strike, targeting seven facilities across four states, could be the largest union-led action against Amazon in the U.S. to date.
“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,” said Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien, in a statement posted on X.
Find out more about the strike and its potential effects on holiday shopping below.
Why Are Amazon Workers on Strike?
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that unionized workers at facilities in New York City, Skokie, Illinois, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Southern California will join the picket line to demand contracts that ensure better wages and working conditions.
The Teamsters had set a deadline of December 15 for Amazon to begin negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement with its unionized workers. However, Amazon has refused to negotiate, arguing that the workers are employed by third-party businesses—known as Delivery Service Partners—that manage millions of package deliveries daily.
“These workers are exercising their power,” said Randy Korgan, the Teamsters’ national director for Amazon. “They now realize there is a pathway to take on a corporate giant like this – that they hold the power.”
Previously, workers around the world went on strike during Black Friday and Cyber Monday—two of Amazon’s busiest days of the year. A press release from UNI Global Union and Progressive International stated that the strikes were aimed at holding the company “accountable for labor abuses, environmental degradation, and threats to democracy.”
“Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit comes at a cost to workers, the environment and democracy,” the general secretary of the union, Christy Hoffman, said. “Bezos’ company has spent untold millions to stop workers from organizing, but the strikes and protests happening around the world show that workers’ desire for justice – for union representation – can’t be stopped. We stand united in demanding that Amazon treat its workers fairly, respect fundamental rights, and stop undermining the systems meant to protect us all. ‘Make Amazon Pay Day’ is becoming a global act of resistance against Amazon’s abuse of power.”
How the Amazon Strike Could Affect Holiday Deliveries
The Amazon workers’ strike could affect package deliveries, but the company has stated that it does not expect major disruptions to its operations. Amazon emphasized that the Teamsters represent only a small fraction of its 1.5 million-strong workforce, excluding part-timers and contractors.
How Long Will the Amazon Workers’ Strike Last?
The Teamsters told NPR that the strike would extend beyond a single day, though they did not specify how long it would last. The union also stated that workers would receive strike pay of $1,000 per week.
When Did ‘Make Amazon Pay’ Start?
The “Make Amazon Pay” movement launched on Black Friday 2020 and has expanded ever since, the UNI press release pointed out. Every year, the organized protests nudge Amazon for change when it comes to working conditions, and the movement continues to protest the company’s alleged threats toward democracy, per the UNI.
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