Amazon employee strike, multiple warehouses in the United States shut down!
Due to union officials stating that Amazon was unable to sit at the negotiating table, thousands of Amazon employees went on strike on Thursday morning Eastern Time, coinciding with the peak of the holiday shopping season. The International Brotherhood of Truck Drivers has announced that union workers from factories in New York City, Scottie, Illinois, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Southern California will join the patrol to seek contracts that guarantee better wages and working conditions.
Earlier, Amazon employees from nearly 20 countries around the world had joined this strike action, known as "Make Amazon Pay" against Japan, which lasted from "Black Friday" to "Cyber Monday". Protests are expected in major cities such as the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, and Brazil.
This strike may disrupt Amazon's operations as it is busy completing orders during the busiest season of the year. However, in the New York City area, the company has multiple warehouses and smaller delivery stations that can quickly provide same day delivery services. Some industry insiders believe that if the action occurs during the critical period before Christmas, it may disrupt the supply chain and send a signal that the union wants to exert financial pressure.
Amazon Strike
If your package is delayed during the holiday season, you can blame Amazon for being insatiable. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to sit down and negotiate, and do the right thing for our members. But they ignored it, "said Shawn M. O'Brien, president of the truck drivers' union, in a statement." These greedy executives have every opportunity to show integrity and respect for those who have brought them huge profits. On the contrary, they have pushed workers to their limits, and now they are paying the price. This strike is their fault
Thousands of Amazon US employees went on strike on Thursday morning local time, coinciding with the peak of the holiday shopping season. Prior to this, the union accused Amazon of refusing to engage in contract negotiations. This strike poses a challenge to Amazon's operations, as the company is racing against time to complete orders during the busiest season of the year, despite union employees accounting for only about 1% of Amazon's hourly workers.
It is worth noting that this strike is not limited to the United States. Amazon employees from nearly 20 countries around the world have joined this strike action, known as "Make Amazon Pay" against Japan, which lasted from "Black Friday" to "Cyber Monday". Protests are expected in major cities such as the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, and Brazil.
After the statement was released, Amazon stated that the latest move by the truck driver union is "another attempt to spread false information" and claimed that the union, representing Amazon workers and drivers, "continues to intentionally mislead the public". Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said, "The fact is that the truck driver union actively threatens, intimidates, and attempts to force Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and the subject of multiple pending allegations of unfair labor practices against the union
Experts believe that Amazon's attitude towards unions has always been tough. Since the Staten Island workers successfully voted to establish the first Amazon warehouse union in the United States two years ago, the company has never recognized the legitimacy of this organization. Amazon has clearly developed a strategy that attempts to ignore workers' collective organization and bargaining rights.
How significant is the impact?
This strike may disrupt Amazon's operations as it is busy completing orders during the busiest season of the year. However, in the New York City area, the company has multiple warehouses and smaller delivery stations that can quickly provide same day delivery services.
The union has set Sunday as the deadline for Amazon to start negotiations, and workers recently voted to approve a possible strike. The truck drivers' union stated in a statement on Wednesday that it has also set up major checkpoints at hundreds of Amazon fulfillment centers across the country.
Earlier, Amazon issued a statement to NBC News stating that other warehouses and distribution centers would help prevent large-scale disruptions. The company is a large network that will not disrupt anyone's Christmas. However, based on the feedback from the front, there have indeed been cases of warehouse goods being blocked.
The leadership of the truck drivers' union called this strike "the largest strike against Amazon in American history". The conflict between the union and this online retail giant is just the latest move by the truck driver union to put pressure on the company and its tough anti union policies during the critical holiday shopping season. This also indicates that union organizations are trying new strategies to represent Amazon employees, who are the second largest private sector employer in the United States. But Amazon has shown no signs of being willing to reach an agreement with the truck driver union, and even does not recognize the union as representing any of its employees, despite the union announcing that many employees at Amazon's factories have signed cards demanding to join the union. It can be expected that the subsequent impact may increase.