SAN FRANCISCO — On Thursday morning, approximately 10 Amazon vans lined up at a company delivery station in San Francisco were unable to depart as striking Teamsters union members blocked two facility gates.
This event was part of a larger action that saw strikes at seven Amazon locations, potentially delaying package deliveries in several major cities during the busy Christmas season.
Picket lines were established in the early hours at Amazon sites in New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco, Skokie, Illinois, and Southern California.
According to the Teamsters union, around 9,000 Amazon workers nationwide have joined their ranks. However, Amazon has yet to recognize the union or engage in negotiations. With this wave of strikes, the Teamsters aim to compel Amazon to enter into union contract discussions and have indicated that they may escalate their actions if necessary.
According to a government report, the company employs approximately 800,000 front-line warehouse workers across its network of about 1,000 fulfillment centers.
Despite this, operations were disrupted outside several Amazon facilities on Thursday due to a strike.
In San Francisco, some workers on the early shift notified managers that they would be walking off the job at 6 a.m. By midmorning, a group of around 50 people, including Amazon employees, Teamsters members from other locations, and union organizers, had gathered.
Initially, picketers blocked the main entrance to the facility. They then moved to obstruct a second gate that Amazon appeared to have opened to allow delivery vans to bypass the strikers.
Brian Weston, an Amazon warehouse worker participating in the San Francisco picket, told The Washington Post that he was striking for better pay and increased respect from management.
“We initially approached Amazon, but they didn’t take us seriously,” said Weston, 60. “So we sought out support from those who would stand by us and help us secure a union contract. We found that support in the Teamsters.”
In New York City, a lively group of striking workers dressed in Amazon uniforms, along with their supporters, brandished signs outside an Amazon delivery station. The signs read “Amazon is unfair” and “Amazon obey the law,” as captured in CBS video footage of the strike.
The New York Police Department set up barricades at the warehouse entrances, according to the union. This warehouse is located near the border of Queens and Brooklyn and is one of the few last-mile Amazon delivery stations in the city’s outer boroughs.
The union also reported that police threatened to arrest picketers who were engaging in peaceful protest. The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Amazon has stated that historically, strikes have had no impact on its business operations. The company claims that the union has illegally coerced its workers into joining, which is why it has not acknowledged the union’s representation of its employees.
It is worth noting that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.
Eileen Hards, an Amazon spokeswoman, commented, “The individuals involved are almost entirely outsiders—not Amazon employees or partners. The Teamsters’ suggestion otherwise is just another lie. The reality is that the union failed to garner sufficient support from our employees and partners, so they have resorted to bringing in outsiders to harass and intimidate our team.”
The duration of the strike could lead to delays in package deliveries in major cities such as New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Chicago, compelling the company to make difficult decisions on some of the busiest days of the year with reduced staffing. Many of these warehouses are situated in key markets at last-mile delivery stations, noted Barry Eidlin, a labor sociology professor at McGill University.
“If Teamsters can actually shut down delivery stations in those key markets like Queens, it’s going to be hard for Amazon to reroute,” Eidlin stated.
Furthermore, the Teamsters’ local unions representing workers at other companies are establishing picket lines at hundreds of Amazon warehouses nationwide, according to the union. This could lead to additional disruptions, such as if a UPS driver refuses to cross the picket line.
Labor experts suggest that this strike will act as a trial run for the Teamsters, who have committed to challenging Amazon.
“This is an initial step,” Eidlin remarked, emphasizing that it provides the union with an opportunity to demonstrate its ability to mobilize Amazon workers, potentially encouraging more employees to join the movement.
Amazon has consistently resisted efforts to unionize its frontline workers, who are highly sought after by the labor movement that has experienced a significant decline in union membership in recent years. The company has countered unionization efforts with expensive campaigns involving anti-union consultants monitoring warehouses and a legal strategy that frequently challenges federal regulators. So far, no Amazon workers have successfully negotiated a contract with the company.
Hards, an Amazon spokeswoman, added that “employees have the choice of whether or not to join.”