Workers Launch Largest Strike Against Amazon in US History

Before the sun rose at 6 am on Thursday, December 19, thousands of Amazon workers in facilities across the United States launched the largest strike against the multi-billion dollar corporation in US history. Workers, organized with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, are continuing to hold down the picket line well into the afternoon (at the time of publication), in some cases braving arrests and police repression of their labor activity. 

Amazon workers are hitting the company where it hurts the most—walking off the job right before the end of the year holidays, the busiest shopping season of the year. Workers have launched this Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike, claiming that Amazon is violating the labor rights of workers, in order to demand that the corporation recognize their union and agree to negotiate a contract. 

Workers are joining the picket line from the Amazon facility DBK4 in New York City, DGT8 in Atlanta, DFX4, DAX5, and DAX8 in Southern California, DCK6 in San Francisco, and DIL7 in Skokie, Illinois. It is possible that workers at other facilities could join later on.

The New York City Police Department entered into direct confrontation with workers on the picket line at the DBK4 facility in Queens. After hours of workers maintaining a strong picket line, the NYPD broke up the line in order to let Amazon delivery vans through. This was shortly after the NYPD arrested an Amazon delivery driver who attempted to stop his delivery van in support of the striking workers. According to labor journalist Luis Feliz Leon who recorded the actions of the police, “The cops swarmed [the delivery driver], and he was arrested. Workers surrounded the van, and cops flung them off.”

Breaking: After hours of Amazon Teamsters maintaining a strong picket line, cops broke the picket line for Amazon. pic.twitter.com/tO26JEZGdB

— Luis Feliz Leon (@Lfelizleon) December 19, 2024

Breaking: After hours of Amazon Teamsters maintaining a strong picket line, cops broke the picket line for Amazon. pic.twitter.com/tO26JEZGdB

— Luis Feliz Leon (@Lfelizleon) December 19, 2024

Arrested workers and Teamsters leaders were later released from NYPD custody and went right back onto the picket line, receiving warm embraces from workers holding down the strike.

Breaking: After hours of Amazon Teamsters maintaining a strong picket line, cops broke the picket line for Amazon. pic.twitter.com/tO26JEZGdB

— Luis Feliz Leon (@Lfelizleon) December 19, 2024

Workers demand respect and recognition

Amazon workers are seeking union recognition and a contract to begin to address their grievances of low pay and unsafe working conditions. The multi-billion dollar company has rejected workers’ demands and has even claimed that its delivery drivers are not employees of the company. Under Amazon’s model, delivery drivers on a technicality work for a third-party business called the Delivery Service Partners. 

“For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public—claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers’. They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative,” said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel in a statement. “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.”

The Teamsters claim that Amazon’s allegations are “gaslighting the American public with their false narratives,” as claimed by Kara Deniz, a Teamsters spokesperson. “The truth is, over 20 bargaining units, representing nearly 9,000 employees have successfully organized because for many years the company has exploited and abused workers, and these workers are fed up and fighting back,” Deniz said. 

“No matter how massive Amazon’s corporate PR machine is, they cannot fool the American public into believing drivers delivering Amazon packages in Amazon-branded vans don’t actually work for Amazon,” said Deniz. “No one believes this nonsense. Amazon needs to stop avoiding their legal obligation to these workers and get to the bargaining table now.”

Amazon workers have been organizing union drives throughout the country, and have stated their own reasons for choosing to organize with the Teamsters. “Amazon workers across the country are organizing with the Teamsters because we have had enough. The disrespect we face every day from management while working long hours and doing back-breaking work is a disgrace,” said Daniel Salinas, an air hub worker at KSBD. “I’ve worked at Amazon for three years, and it’s past time we made some changes at this company. That starts with a union and a voice on the job for workers like me.”

Richard Schmidt, a 6-year delivery driver with Amazon addressed the company’s claims directly from the picket line at the DAX5 facility in the City of Industry, California. “Why are you saying we do not work for Amazon? Why are you saying, third party this, third party that, when we clearly are the face of this company?” Schmidt gestured to the vest he had on, emblazoned with the Amazon logo. “The only thing that doesn’t say Amazon on it is my paycheck.”

In September of this year, the National Labor Relations Board’s Los Angeles region named Amazon as a joint employer of delivery drivers in Palmdale, California, a claim which Amazon denied. 

In 2023, workers at UPS, organized with the Teamsters, won a major victory over the company after threatening a massive strike of 350,000 workers across the United States. In a historic contract, UPS workers ended a two-tier system added on to the prior contract, added 30,000 new full-time positions, a starting wage of USD 21 per hour, among other gains. The Teamsters have now set their sights to organizing Amazon workers, who do similar work in the logistics industry as UPS workers but earn vastly less with fewer benefits and protections.

Meanwhile, at Donald Trump’s estate in Mar-a-Lago, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos became the latest billionaire to be wined and dined by the US president-elect on the same day that Amazon workers launched their strike.