Amazon workers at seven of the company’s facilities in the United States have gone on strike today, demanding that the e-commerce giant sign a collective bargaining agreement during the peak holiday shopping season.
The Teamsters Union, the largest labor union in the U.S. representing transporters and truck drivers, announced the walkout after Amazon ignored the deadline set last week to begin contract negotiations. Workers had previously formalized their strike action, and now the protests have begun, with employees hoping to pressure Amazon into resolving their demands.
Despite the strike, Amazon has stated that it believes the protests will not impact its operations. The Teamsters Union, however, has labeled the action as “the largest strike ever against Amazon in U.S. history,” representing nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities. This is only a small fraction of Amazon’s 1.5 million global workforce, which includes employees at its warehouses and corporate offices.
The strike is taking place at an Amazon warehouse in San Francisco, California, as well as six delivery stations across Southern California, New York City, Atlanta, Georgia, and Skokie, Illinois. The Teamsters Union also confirmed that workers in other Amazon facilities are likely to join the protest in the coming days, escalating the action further.
This strike marks a significant escalation in the ongoing labor dispute between Amazon and its workers, especially as the company experiences record demand during the holiday season. With the strike affecting key delivery hubs, the pressure on Amazon to negotiate with the union and address workers’ demands for better pay and working conditions continues to mount.
