At 6:00 a.m. this morning, thousands of Amazon workers who are organized under the Teamsters Union walked off the job, raising the possibility that an untold number of packages are in jeopardy of not being delivered in time for Christmas.
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Workers at seven Amazon facilities, including those in Skokie, Illinois; New York City; Atlanta San Francisco; and four in Southern California, are part of the strike, with Amazon employees at other facilities indicating that they, too, may join the picket line. Although these employees are represented by the Teamsters Union, Amazon itself does not recognize that affiliation.
A spokeswoman for Amazon said of the strike:
“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, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative,” Nantel said. “The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union.”
Uncowed by Amazon’s stance, the Teamsters took to X saying Amazon had “forced this strike” by not recognizing the unionization and engaging in bargaining with the workers.
🚨 BREAKING: The Teamsters Union has launched the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history. 🚨
Amazon has forced this strike by refusing to follow the law and bargain with the thousands of Amazon workers who organized with the Teamsters.
Now, Amazon Teamsters at facilities… pic.twitter.com/9gRej7GANm
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) December 19, 2024
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The full text of the Teamsters tweet:
🚨 BREAKING: The Teamsters Union has launched the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history. 🚨
Amazon has forced this strike by refusing to follow the law and bargain with the thousands of Amazon workers who organized with the Teamsters.
Now, Amazon Teamsters at facilities across the country will be striking, including primary picket lines at hundreds of Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide.
In the accompanying video, Amazon workers say they are “strong” and have been “prepping for this day.” One worker remarked, “Amazon is scared because they know, with the power of the union, they’re going to have to dish out what they owe.”
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Teamsters Union president Sean O’Brien, who cozied up to President-elect Donald Trump this year and spoke at the Republican National Convention in July, warned that the strike could lead to a blue Christmas for many Americans:
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in the release.
He continued: “These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, they’ve pushed workers to the limit and now they’re paying the price. This strike is on them.”
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Trump has yet to speak publicly about the strike, but union leaders have been heaping praise on him in recent days, which raises the possibility that he could step in and help the two sides reach some sort of consensus.
Donald Trump saving Christmas would certainly be a fitting end to 2024.
