Workers at seven U.S. locations walked off the job early Thursday during the holiday shopping rush to protest what they believe is the retailing giant’s unjust treatment of its employees.
Warehouse workers in locations such as Manhattan, Atlanta, and San Francisco participated in what Teamsters officials described as the largest-ever strike against Amazon, but it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the company’s massive shipping operations.
Amazon, the world’s second-largest private employer after Walmart (WMT.N), has long been a target for unions, which argue that the company’s emphasis on ever-faster speed and efficiency can lead to workplace injuries. The company claims it pays industry-leading wages and use automation to reduce repeated stress.
Amazon shares were up 1.8% on Thursday afternoon.
Workers told Reuters that they want Amazon to come to the negotiation table and recognise the urgency to address health-related requests. The strikes, however, make just a small percentage of Amazon’s 800,000-plus employees at over 600 fulfilment centres, delivery stations, and same-day facilities in the United States.
“Amazon has a strict quota system that pushes people beyond their actual physical limits in an unnatural way, even though they pretend there isn’t one,” said Jordan Soreff, 63, who delivers roughly 300 items a day for Amazon in the Queens and Brooklyn boroughs of New York City. “You’re expected to do more the more you do.”
Several Teamsters members who are not Amazon employees were among the roughly 100 individuals outside the Queens Amazon site, including Soreff. The facility was still open, though, with other drivers arriving for work and departing in trucks with the help of police who prevented demonstrators from obstructing the drivers.
According to an Amazon representative, the Teamsters have “intentionally misled the public” and “threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce” workers and independent contractors to join them.
Amazon is protected from such disruptions by its numerous locations in numerous U.S. urban centres. During one of the busiest periods of the year, the company has stated that it does not anticipate any impact on operations. The firm sold almost 500 million items from independent merchants on Cyber Monday and Black Friday in 2023.
