US Amazon Workers Launch Strike During Year-End Shopping Rush

Thousands of Employees at 7 Logistics Warehouses Strike
"If Delivery Delays Occur, It's Amazon's Greed"
Amazon: "External Forces... No Delivery Delays"

Thousands of workers at seven Amazon logistics warehouses, the world's largest e-commerce company, have gone on strike ahead of the Christmas holiday shopping season.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others on the 19th (local time), the Amazon warehouse workers who went on strike are demanding wage contract negotiations, a safe working environment, and recognition of the Teamsters labor union.

Amazon employees on strike. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

The Teamsters, the largest transportation union in the United States, stated that this strike is the largest among all previous Amazon strikes. Sean O'Brien, Teamsters president, said in a statement, "If deliveries are delayed during the holidays, it could be due to Amazon's endless greed," adding, "We demanded that Amazon come to the table and treat our members fairly by the negotiation deadline (the 15th), but they ignored us."

The strike is taking place at seven logistics centers in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, and California. Vinny Perron, New York Teamsters union leader, said the strike will continue as long as necessary. In the U.S., the last week of November, from Thanksgiving to Christmas and New Year's, is considered the biggest shopping season of the year.

However, Amazon dismissed concerns that this strike, which began just before Christmas, would cause delivery delays this week. The company also claimed that the Teamsters have been running campaigns that distort facts or cause public misunderstanding. The company stated, "The union claims to represent thousands of employees and drivers, but those protesting on site are mostly outsiders," and added, "(The company) continues to focus on fulfilling holiday orders."

Market analysts also see little chance that the strike will significantly disrupt Amazon's logistics and deliveries. Dan Romanoff, a Morningstar analyst, said, "There may be some isolated delays, but I don't think there will be any substantial impact."

According to the Teamsters website, about 10,000 Amazon workers are union members. This is less than 1% of Amazon's workforce of 1.53 million as of December 31, 2023. So far, Amazon has shown resistance to union activities, arguing that direct communication between employees and management is more efficient and has worked to prevent union formation.