The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said Wednesday that workers at Amazon’s eighth facility, DGT8 outside Atlanta, Georgia, said the global retailer would “recognize the union and begin negotiations for its first contract.” ”, they announced that they had unanimously voted to authorize the strike.
“If the Amazon Teamsters are being forced to stand on picket lines, it’s because the company lacks the capabilities of its employees,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in a statement Wednesday. said. “Amazon workers want to earn a good living, have decent health care, and be safe at work. Enough of the disrespect towards them. If Amazon continues to pressure them, they will strike.” It will push you to.”
Workers in three other states had already joined in the strike threat. The Teamsters announced Tuesday that workers at four California facilities (DFX4, DAX5, KSBD, and DAX8) voted to authorize a strike, and a day earlier, workers at Amazon delivery station DIL7 in Skokie, Illinois. announced that they had authorized the strike. On Friday, Dec. 13, workers at Staten Island warehouse JFK8 and Queens delivery station DBK4 announced the approval of a strike permit.
In June, JFK8 workers, who first voted to unionize two years ago, joined the Teamsters to form the Amazon Labor Union (ALU)-IBT Local 1.
The Teamsters are also organizing drivers who work at Amazon Delivery Service Partners (DSPs), including DGT8 facilities. The union argues that Amazon has an obligation to negotiate with the Teamsters because “Amazon has absolute control over the terms and conditions of its delivery drivers’ employment through the DSP program.” According to CNN, Amazon claims these workers are not Amazon employees, but rather employees of contractors.
Over the summer, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Amazon is a joint employer of some subcontracted drivers who deliver Amazon packages in California, a victory for the Teamsters and their workers. It became.
In response to a potential labor lawsuit, an Amazon spokesperson told ABC News last week that the Teamsters “claim to represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers’ and have no intention of “They continue to mislead the public,” he said. They are not. ”
Following the New York City vote, the Teamsters have asked Amazon to begin negotiations by Sunday this week. “By ignoring the Dec. 15 deadline set by the Teamsters to come to the bargaining table and negotiate a contract, Amazon is threatening a major labor lawsuit during the busy holiday season,” the union said Wednesday. I have decided to attend,” he said.
The strike threat also followed a report released Monday by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which found that Amazon They say they repeatedly ignore or deny safety measures and even present misleading content. They collect worker injury data and make warehouses appear safer than they actually are.
Amazon issued a statement condemning the report.
