Amazon union in US authorises strike ahead of Christmas

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

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

Amazon’s facilities in Southern California, New York and Illinois could be affected, according to a Teamsters statement.

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

“Amazon must be held accountable to workers and consumers alike. If workers are forced onto the picket line, Amazon will be striking itself,” he added.

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

But an Amazon spokesperson, Eileen Hards, said the union “has continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that 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 to join them, which is illegal”, she added.

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

The investigation led by Democrat 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Amazon said the report was “wrong on the facts”, and featured “selective, outdated information that lacks context and isn’t grounded in reality”.

The company, which employs roughly 800,000 people in the US, has faced accusations about unsafe conditions at its warehouses for years.

Those concerns ramped up 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 staffers conducted 135 interviews and reviewed more than 1,000 documents.

Their analysis of public records found that warehouses operated by Amazon recorded over 30% more injuries than the warehousing industry average in 2023.