Amazon employees at seven facilities across the United States staged a walkout on Thursday, during the holiday shopping season, to protest what they perceive as unfair treatment by the retail giant. Workers in cities like New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco participated in what Teamsters officials described as the largest strike against Amazon to date, although it caused minimal disruption to the company’s extensive logistics network.
As the world’s second-largest private employer, after Walmart, Amazon has faced criticism from unions accusing it of prioritizing speed and efficiency at the expense of worker safety, often leading to injuries. Amazon counters these claims, asserting it offers competitive wages and employs automation to alleviate repetitive tasks. Notably, the company’s shares rose 1.8% on Thursday afternoon.
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Protesters urged Amazon to address demands related to workplace pressures impacting their health. However, the number of strikers represented a small fraction of Amazon’s workforce of over 800,000 employees across more than 600 U.S. facilities. Jordan Soreff, a 63-year-old delivery driver in Queens and Brooklyn, stated that Amazon enforces strict quotas that push workers beyond their physical limits, describing the system as rigorous and exhausting.
Outside Amazon’s Queens facility, around 100 individuals, including Teamsters members not employed by Amazon, joined the protest. Despite their presence, the facility remained operational, with police assisting other drivers entering and exiting. An Amazon spokesperson accused the Teamsters of misleading the public and coercing employees to participate.
With multiple locations in metropolitan areas, Amazon’s operations were largely unaffected by the strikes. The company emphasized it expects no significant delays during the busy holiday season, noting its sale of over 500 million items during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2023. Morningstar analyst Dan Romanoff echoed this, suggesting any delays would be negligible.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced a $2.1 billion investment to increase wages for fulfillment and transportation workers, raising base pay to an average of $22 per hour. However, the company remains at odds with unions. The Teamsters, representing 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, claimed Amazon missed a December 15 deadline to begin negotiations. Amazon refuted these claims, stating no elections or bargaining orders exist for these locations.
Union activity has surged across various industries, including manufacturing, aerospace, and retail. In January, U.S. port workers may strike if contract negotiations fail. Similarly, Starbucks baristas and workers from companies like Boeing have also authorized strikes this year. Despite this momentum, Amazon continues to resist unionization, challenging the 2022 vote to unionize its Staten Island facility and filing a federal lawsuit questioning the National Labor Relations Board’s constitutionality.
In San Francisco, roughly 15-20 warehouse employees joined a protest alongside three dozen other demonstrators. Janeé Roberts, a part-time Amazon worker, highlighted safety concerns as her primary reason for striking, citing exhaustion and inadequate benefits for part-time staff.
Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, could face further union actions in the future. In November, workers at a Philadelphia Whole Foods location initiated efforts to unionize—the first since Amazon acquired the chain in 2017. Additionally, Germany’s United Services Union launched strikes at Amazon warehouses in solidarity with U.S. workers.
