Amazon Workers Stage Major Strike During Key Holiday Period
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Thousands of Amazon workers across multiple US warehouses will walk off the job Thursday, disrupting the online retailer's operations during its busiest time of year, reports Reuters. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Teamsters) union, representing approximately 1% of Amazon's US hourly workforce, says the strike is in response to the company's refusal to engage in contract negotiations for better wages and working conditions.
Workers at facilities in New York City, Skokie, Illinois, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Southern California will participate in the strike, which begins at 6 a.m. ET. The Teamsters had issued an ultimatum to Amazon last Sunday, calling for the company to begin negotiations.
The strike could significantly impact Amazon's ability to fulfill orders during the crucial holiday shopping season. While the company has multiple warehouses in the New York City area, the strike's effect on nationwide operations remains to be seen.
Amazon has yet to publicly respond to the strike action or the union's demands.
This move comes more than two years after workers at an Amazon Staten Island warehouse became the first in the US to successfully unionize. Despite this victory, Amazon has yet to formally recognize the union, filing objections with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and challenging the agency's constitutionality in a federal lawsuit.
"Amazon clearly has developed a strategy of ignoring their workers' rights to collectively organize and negotiate," said Benjamin Sachs, a Harvard Law School professor, to Reuters.
The Teamsters also note that the Staten Island warehouse and another Southern California facility, which previously voted to authorize a strike, could join the current action at any time.
Amazon's resistance to unionization contrasts with its recent announcement of a $2.1 billion investment to raise pay for fulfillment and transportation employees in the US, increasing wages by at least $1.50 to around $22 per hour. However, the company has long faced criticism for its emphasis on speed and efficiency, which some workers argue contributes to workplace injuries. Amazon maintains that it offers competitive wages and invests in automation to reduce repetitive tasks.
The current strike is not the only union-related challenge Amazon faces. Workers at a Philadelphia Whole Foods, acquired by Amazon in 2017, recently filed to hold a union election. Additionally, an administrative judge has ordered a new union election at an Alabama warehouse after ruling that Amazon unlawfully interfered with previous attempts at unionization.