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.
