Amazon workers strike at seven US sites during year's busiest period

Why it matters: It's not conscionable firm labor leaving complete nan company's fierce return-to-office argumentation that Amazon has to interest about. Workers astatine 7 of its accommodation walked disconnected nan occupation this greeting successful what their national is calling nan "largest strike" against Amazon successful US history.

According to nan International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 10,000 workers astatine 10 Amazon facilities, storage workers successful cities including New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco are taking portion successful nan strike.

The national had fixed Amazon a December 15 deadline to statesman talks pinch employees, but nan institution has refused to discuss contracts pinch unionized workers.

"If your package is delayed during nan holidays, you tin blasted Amazon's insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to travel to nan array and do correct by our members. They ignored it," Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien said successful a statement.

"These greedy executives had each chance to show decency and respect for nan group who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, they've pushed workers to nan pemisah and now they're paying nan price. This onslaught is connected them."

The imaginable of not receiving your Amazon-bought equipment successful clip for Christmas is surely concerning. However, Amazon says that it does not expect nan onslaught to effect its operations. A institution spokesperson said nan national continues to "intentionally mislead nan nationalist – claiming that they correspond 'thousands of Amazon labor and drivers'. They don't, and this is different effort to push a mendacious narrative."

Amazon added that nan Teamsters person threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon labor and third-party drivers. It says specified actions are forbidden and nan taxable of aggregate pending unfair labour believe charges against nan union.

Striking during Amazon's busiest play of nan twelvemonth will origin immoderate headaches for nan institution and customers, but its unionized accommodation dress up only astir 1% of Amazon's hourly workforce, and areas specified arsenic New York person aggregate warehouses and smaller transportation depots, writes Reuters.

Amazon has agelong faced accusations that its storage labor person to strengthen abusive and vulnerable moving conditions. The institution continues to contradict these claims, contempt repeated strikes by staff.

A US legislature committee released a study connected Amazon's storage information practices connected Sunday. It stated that astatine slightest 2 soul studies showed a nexus betwixt nan velocity astatine which workers execute tasks and workplace injuries, but Amazon rejected galore information recommendations arsenic it feared they whitethorn trim productivity.

Amazon said nan study was "wrong connected nan facts and features selective, outdated accusation that lacks discourse and isn't grounded successful reality."

November saw nan motorboat of nan Make Amazon Pay campaign, successful which Amazon workers and friends successful much than 20 countries onslaught and protestation against what it calls nan company's anti-worker and anti-democratic practices. The actions, which took spot complete Black Friday weekend, are now successful their 5th year.