Amazon faces strike threat in US before Christmas

Amazon workers in the US may go on strike before Christmas after members of the Teamsters union voted to support industrial action.

The workers say the online retail giant has refused to recognize their union and ignored a December 15 deadline to hold talks on their contract.

Amazon facilities in Southern California, New York and Illinois may be affected, according to a statement from the Teamsters.

“The corporate elitists who run Amazon are leaving workers with no choice,” said Teamsters General President Sean M O’Brien.

“Amazon needs to be held accountable to both workers and consumers. If workers are forced into the strike, Amazon will beat itself,” he added.

The union said it represents thousands of workers at 10 Amazon facilities across the United States.

But an Amazon spokesman, Eileen Hards, said the union “has continued to deliberately mislead the public – claiming they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers’. They don’t”.

“The Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers into joining them, which is illegal,” she added.

Earlier this week, a congressional investigation concluded that the e-commerce giant is pushing its US warehouse workers to fulfill orders at speeds that can cause high injury rates.

The investigation led by Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders also said the company had refused to introduce changes to improve safety because of concerns about its profits.

Amazon said the report was “factually incorrect” and contained “selective, outdated information that lacks context and is not grounded in reality”.

The company, which employs about 800,000 people in the United States, has faced allegations of unsafe conditions at its warehouses for years.

These concerns increased during the Covid pandemic, when e-commerce exploded, leading to protests by its workers around the world.

Amid the controversy, founder Jeff Bezos said the company needed to do better by its employees.

Senator Sanders, who is known for his pro-worker stance, launched an investigation into Amazon’s practices in June 2023. Senate staff conducted 135 interviews and reviewed more than 1,000 documents.

Their analysis of public records showed that warehouses operated by Amazon recorded over 30% more damage than the warehouse industry average by 2023.