Amazon faces potential labor action from the Teamsters, implying potential work stoppages.
The significant retail corporation asserted that its business operations will remain unaltered by the union's actions, even if they decide to go on strike. The Teamsters allegedly represent approximately 7,000 Amazon workers across the nation, which equates to less than 1% of the company's US workforce. Despite votes supporting a walkout, the union has yet to announce a strike deadline.
In a statement to CNN, Eileen Hards, a spokesperson for the corporation, stated, "This recent wave of protests has not disrupted our operations; it's merely caused inconvenience to our staff and partners."
According to the Teamsters, not only the Staten Island warehouse, but also facilities in Queens, New York, and Skokie, Illinois, have seen strike authorization votes approved. It's important to note that authorization votes are often approved, even if the union members never actually initiate a strike. This was the case with UPS, the Teamsters' largest employer, in 2023, where a deal was reached between the union and the company a week before the deadline, despite 97% of the membership authorizing a strike.
The ongoing struggle between the union and the online retailing giant marks the latest attempt by the Teamsters to put pressure on the company and its strong anti-union policy during the critical holiday shopping season. This showdown also indicates that organized labor is experimenting with new strategies to advocate for workers at Amazon, which ranks as America's second-largest private sector employer.
However, Amazon exhibits no signs of willingness to reach a deal with the Teamsters or acknowledge that the union represents any of its workers, despite the union declaring that many Amazon employees at various facilities have signed cards expressing a desire to join. Amazon is currently challenging the results of the 2022 Staten Island election in court and has refused to negotiate with the union or acknowledge any workers who have declared their union membership.
Unions commonly gain representation of workers by filing for elections overseen by the National Labor Relations Board. The Amazon Labor Union (ALU) successfully secured such a vote at Amazon's Staten Island facility in April 2022. However, other union votes have failed at other Amazon facilities before and since then. The ALU members voted in June to affiliate with the Teamsters, a powerful union with 1.3 million members.
While voluntary recognition of a union by an employer is allowed under labor law, it is relatively uncommon. And even when the union wins an election certified by the NLRB, as it did in Staten Island, the company has continued to challenge the results and refuses to recognize the union.
Given Amazon's substantial profits, the union argues that Amazon should recognize it and engage in negotiations. Amazon reported a net income of $39.2 billion in the first nine months of this year, more than double its profits for the same period in 2023.
"Amazon's so-called 'leaders' should treat their workers fairly - they just want to put food on the table for their families," Teamsters President Sean O'Brien said in a statement. "Instead, Amazon executives risk ruining the holidays for their customers due to their obsession with placing profits ahead of people."
"Amazon is one of the largest companies globally, but we are struggling to make ends meet," stated Riley Holzworth, a driver who delivers from the Skokie facility, who recently voted in favor of the strike, on behalf of the union.
Amazon operates over 1,000 US warehouses, employing more than 740,000 workers, according to recent government data. The Teamsters claims to represent Amazon workers at warehouses in San Francisco and San Bernardino, California, in addition to the Staten Island workers who have been certified as union members by the NLRB. The union announced last week that workers at the San Bernardino air hub had joined the union.
However, many of the 7,000 Teamsters that the union refers to as "Amazon employees" are, in fact, independent contractors responsible for delivering packages from Amazon and no other businesses. These drivers are based at seven different Amazon facilities, including those that authorized strikes in Queens and Skokie.
The drivers in Queens and Skokie might have participated in a strike vote, but no NLRB-supervised representation election was ever held at either facility. And even if such an election had been held and certified by the NLRB, Amazon argues that these drivers are actually employed by its contractors, not Amazon itself.
Amazon contends that most employees at the facilities the Teamsters union claims to represent do not support the union or its initiatives, and that the Teamsters' claims of representation were intended to mislead the public.
Under a recent NLRB opinion, these workers can be recognized as having two different employers, and unions can seek recognition and negotiations with either the contractor or the company they serve.
Business groups remain opposed to the NLRB's dual employer opinion, and it is possible that this opinion may be overturned once President-elect Trump appoints a new NLRB General Counsel and board members early next year.
Despite the ongoing union efforts, Amazon maintains that its core business operations remain unaffected, as the company employs over 740,000 workers in over 1,000 US warehouses.
The ongoing dispute between the Teamsters and Amazon highlights the complexities in recognizing unions, with many drivers at Amazon facilities being classified as independent contractors, rather than direct employees.
