This story has been updated to reflect the most recent breaking news.
Thousands of Amazon workers are set to walk off the job on Thursday at 6 a.m. ET, disrupting operations in the critical days leading up to Christmas. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that the strike stems from Amazon’s failure to engage in contract negotiations for better wages and working conditions.
Unionized workers from facilities in New York City, Skokie, Illinois, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Southern California will participate in the walkout. The Teamsters represent approximately 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities in the U.S., accounting for about 1% of the company’s hourly workforce.
The timing of the strike could pose significant challenges for Amazon, which relies on these facilities to fulfill last-minute holiday orders. In New York City, where several warehouses and smaller delivery hubs are located, potential disruptions could affect same-day deliveries. Teamsters local unions are also establishing primary picket lines at hundreds of Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide.
The Teamsters union set a deadline of December 15 for Amazon to begin bargaining on negotiations. Similar strike authorizations have also been approved by Teamsters unions in Illinois and New York.
In response, Amazon accused the Teamsters of misleading the public. Eileen Hards, an Amazon spokesperson, stated, “For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.’ They don’t.”
“The corporate elitists who run Amazon are leaving workers with no choice,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement this week. “Greedy executives are pushing thousands of hardworking Americans to the brink. Amazon rakes in more money than anybody, they subject workers to injury and abuse at every turn, and they illegally claim not to be the rightful employer of nearly half their workforce. This rigged system cannot continue.”
She also alleged that the union has engaged in “threats, intimidation, and coercion” against employees and third-party drivers, which Amazon claims is illegal and the subject of pending unfair labor practice charges.
The strike vote underscores escalating tensions as Amazon workers push for union recognition and improved conditions during a critical period for the company.
