Amazon workers at two warehouses in New York City — both of which are vital to delivering holiday goods throughout the Big Apple — indicated they plan to strike if the e-commerce giant doesn’t agree on a timetable for contract negotiations. Are ready for.
The Teamsters union represents Amazon workers at a Staten Island fulfillment center known as JFK8 that employs 5,500 workers, as well as a last-mile delivery station in Queens known as DBK4.
As of December 14, workers at both facilities voted on Friday to authorize a strike if the Sunday negotiation deadline passed without a resolution. Post By the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
The Teamsters have not issued a statement since Sunday’s deadline and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Amazon Teamsters at two New York City facilities – JFK8 and DBK4 – are protesting Amazon’s illegal refusal to recognize their union and negotiate a contract addressing the company’s low wages and dangerous working conditions,” the Teamsters wrote on Friday. “Voted overwhelmingly to authorize the strike.”
Amazon claims the union does not represent the “thousands” of workers and drivers it says it does.
“The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers into joining them, which is illegal and leads to multiple lawsuits pending against the union. is the subject of unfair labor practice allegations,” Amazon spokeswoman Eileen Hardts said in a statement.
The Teamsters are trying to organize Amazon across the country and say it has infiltrated a total of 10 facilities.
Teamster President, Sean O’Brien Adding, “We have been clear: Amazon has until December 15 to come to the table and bargain for a contract. If these white-collar criminals want to keep breaking the law, they better get ready for a fight.
Meanwhile, a scathing congressional report on employee safety issues at Amazon was released on Sunday.
A congressional investigation led by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, or HELP, Committee, chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, found that injuries at Amazon facilities in 2023 were 30% higher than the industry average. workplace.
The 160-page report also found that Amazon allegedly “cherry-picked” and “manipulated” its own data to make its warehouses appear safer than they were.
Amazon workers are reportedly under pressure to work at “extremely fast and often dangerous speeds.”
The online giant also refuted the findings of the Congressional report in 2,394 words feedback Emphasizing that the report and Senator Sanders are “incorrect on the facts” and “rely on outdated information that lacks context and is not based in reality.”
Amazon says it has increased delivery speeds while reducing injury rates, adding that it has collaborated with committee members as they conducted research.
The Help Committee said it interviewed more than 130 Amazon employees and met with nearly 500 employees, who shared 1,400 documents with lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Amazon produced only a quarter of the documents requested by the committee during its 18-month investigation — or 285 files, according to the report, while Amazon says it “produced thousands of documents” for committee members.
The report claims Amazon managers give orders to employees, including “keeping the line moving at all costs”, according to the report, including an incident in which a woman “fell” from a conveyor belt and the manager Never hit “Stop”. ” button.
The report’s findings echo other state and federal allegations about Amazon’s difficult work environments, That includes the administration of Gov. Kathy Hochul Which filed a complaint in 2022 alleging that pregnant women and disabled workers face harsh physical working conditions that put them at risk of injury.
In 2021, Jeff Bezos, founder and former CEO of Amazon letter written to shareholders He was leaving the post while promising that Amazon would be the “best employer” and “safest place to work.”
Bezos’ letter came after a vigorous, high-profile but unsuccessful effort to organize an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama.
