Amazon workers in United States cities including New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta have voted to strike this week after the company missed a deadline to begin negotiating their contract.
The workers, part of the Teamsters union, have said Amazon refused to recognise their unionisation and ignored a December 15 deadline to start contract talks.
“If Amazon Teamsters are forced onto the picket line, it’s because the company has failed its workforce,” said Teamsters general president Sean M. O’Brien. “Amazon workers want to earn a good living, have decent health care, and be safe on the job. They are done with the disrespect, and if Amazon keeps pushing them, they will push them to strike.”
Workers unanimously voted in favour of a strike at Atlanta’s DGT8 Amazon facility.
Other Amazon locations where workers have voted to strike include New York City’s Staten Island and Queens, four facilities around Los Angeles, and Skokie, a Chicago suburb.
“The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union,” said Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards.
Amazon employs around 800,000 workers in the United States. A U.S. Senate report this week found the injury rate at Amazon warehouses was more than 30% higher than the industry average in 2023.
“This investigation wasn’t a fact-finding mission, but rather an attempt to collect information and twist it to support a false narrative,” Amazon said after the report’s release.
Azzet has contacted Amazon Australia for comment.
Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) share price closed at US$220.52, down from the previous day’s $231.15. The company’s market capitalisation is US$2.3 trillion.