Amazon on strike amazon drivers in four states have gone on strike just days before Christmas, but the company says it won’t disrupt your holiday deliveries. amazon usa The strike involves members of the Teamsters union at seven facilities across the country. While the Teamsters represent about 7,000 Amazon workers worldwide, that’s less than 1% of Amazon’s total U.S. workforce.
Amazon Workers Strike Hits Holiday Deliveries as Thousands of Drivers Protest
Amazon strike today
In addition to concerns about wages and benefits, a key point of contention is whether these workers are even considered Amazon employees. Amazon argue they aren’t, despite the fact that they wear Amazon uniforms, drive Amazon-branded vans, and deliver only Amazon packages.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” said Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien in a statement shared on X. “We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it.”
The strike highlights the struggles of Amazon drivers like Luke Cianciotto, who spoke to reporters outside the Skokie facility. “We are fighting for basic benefits and needs that are standard in other industries,” he said. “Many of us don’t even have Christmas presents under the tree this year. The wages and hours we get working for Amazon simply aren’t enough to make ends meet in today’s economy.”
Amazon, however, insists the strike won’t impact holiday deliveries. The company also reiterated its stance that the Teamsters do not represent its workers, emphasizing that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has certified only one group of Amazon employees for union representation—at a Staten Island facility that, while authorized to strike, hasn’t joined the walkouts yet.
There are a lot of nuances here, but I want to be clear: the Teamsters don’t represent any Amazon employees, despite their claims to the contrary,” said Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, in a statement. “This entire narrative is just a PR play, and the Teamsters’ actions over the past year, including this week, are illegal.
The first strike occurred at 6 AM ET Thursday at a facility in Queens, New York, followed by another walkout in Skokie, Illinois, an hour later. By 9 AM ET, the strike spread to locations in Atlanta, San Francisco, Victorville, and the City of Industry, California.
Despite the strike expanding to multiple locations, experts believe it will have a minor impact on Amazon shipments. Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix, explained that Amazon has enough facilities to absorb the impact. While some deliveries may be delayed by a day or two, it won’t cause major disruptions. Jindel compared the strike’s impact to a weather event, such as an ice storm. “They will have the ability to ship products from other locations,” he said, noting that the delay won’t be widespread.
However, unlike a weather event, Jindel added, the bad feelings from the strike could persist after it’s over, given the ongoing tensions between Amazon and the union.
The Teamsters are citing Amazon’s massive profits, particularly in recent years, as a reason for the strike. The company reported a net income of $39.2 billion in the first nine months of 2024, more than double its earnings from the same period in 2023. Amazon’s revenue for 2024 reached $450.2 billion, making it the second-largest private company in the world, behind only Walmart.
“We’re shifting the focus to people, not just packages or profits,” said Ash’shura Brooks, a driver in Skokie, speaking outside the facility.
The length of the strike is still unclear. While some unions have embraced shorter strikes in recent years with success, like the 2023 strike at Kaiser Permanente, Amazon’s situation might differ. The Teamsters have stated that the strike will last more than a day, but since Amazon does not recognize the union, an open-ended strike seems unlikely.
By striking just before Christmas and Hanukkah, the Teamsters aim to maximize pressure on Amazon and potentially sway customers to shop elsewhere for last-minute gifts.
The workers on strike are employed by Amazon contractors, but the Teamsters argue they should be considered joint employees of both the contractor and Amazon, based on a rule recently announced by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Amazon, along with other business groups, is challenging this rule.
Brooks and Cianciotto mocked Amazon’s claim that they aren’t considered Amazon employees, despite working directly for the company. Brooks called it “heartbreaking” for Amazon to deny their employee status, pointing out, “We wear Amazon vests and deliver in Amazon vans.” Cianciotto argued that the use of third-party contractors is just a way for Amazon to avoid negotiating directly with its drivers. “These third-party contractors don’t exist without Amazon,” he said.
However, the Teamsters’ reliance on the joint employer rule, which could help them secure better terms for drivers, is at risk. Once President-elect Trump appoints a more business-friendly NLRB General Counsel and board members in early 2025, the rule could be overturned, weakening the union’s position.
On Thursday, the Teamsters set up picket lines not only at the struck facilities but also at other Amazon distribution centers. Amazon criticized these protests, accusing the union of trying to intimidate workers who wished to continue working. “What you see here are almost entirely outsiders—people who aren’t Amazon employees or partners,” said Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hand. “The Teamsters couldn’t garner enough support from our employees, so they’ve brought in outsiders to harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous. We appreciate all our team’s hard work and are focusing on delivering holiday orders to our customers.”
some people on the picket lines were Teamsters from other industries, but it’s not unusual for union members from other sectors to show solidarity during a strike. David Estes, a locomotive engineer and Teamsters member, explained, “We’re here to support Amazon workers who’ve been treated unfairly and to show them they’re not alone.” Estes was on the picket line at an Amazon facility in Dupont, Washington, near Tacoma.
An Election Certified, An Election Denie
Amazon is on strike has shown no willingness to negotiate with the Teamsters or recognize the union as representing any of its workers, even though the union claims that employees at several Amazon facilities have signed cards requesting to join.
Typically, unions gain representation by filing to hold elections overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). While voluntary recognition of a union by an employer is permitted under labor law, it’s rare, and in Amazon’s case, it seems nearly impossible given the company’s position. Instead of seeking formal votes, the Teamsters are demanding that Amazon recognize workers who have already signed union cards as members. This approach, however, puts the union at odds with Amazon’s refusal to acknowledge the Teamsters’ claims.
An upstart union, the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), won a representation vote at Amazon’s Staten Island facility in April 2022, and the results were certified by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). However, despite several setbacks in court, Amazon continues to challenge the election results through further appeals.
Since then, other union votes at different Amazon facilities have failed, but the ALU members voted in June to affiliate with the Teamsters, one of the nation’s largest unions with 1.3 million members.
Amazon strike update
“We believe our employees should have the choice of whether or not to join a union. They always have,” said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel. “We favor opportunities for each person to be respected and valued as an individual and to have their unique voice heard by working directly with our team.” Amazon maintains that the 2022 election at Staten Island wasn’t fair and that the NLRB-certified results do not reflect the true views of the workers at that facility.
The union did not announce a strike at the Staten Island warehouse, even though rank-and-file members there had previously authorized one. The Teamsters did not immediately clarify why those members were not part of the current strike action.
