Workers at a Amazon warehouse and delivery center in New York announced approval of strike authorizations on Friday, giving the retail giant — who have refused to negotiate for months — until Sunday to come to the bargaining table or risk a major work stoppage at the height of the holiday shopping season.
The unions representing Amazon workers at two New York City facilities — the JFK8 warehouse on Staten Island and the DBK4 delivery center in Queens — cited the company’s “illegal refusal to recognize their union and negotiate a contract” to address low wages and dangerous working conditions as the reason for the strike authorization.
“Amazon is pushing its workers closer to the picket line by failing to show them the respect they have earned,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien in a statement. “We’ve been clear: Amazon has until December 15 to come to the table and bargain for a contract. If these white-collar criminals want to keep breaking the law, they better get ready for a fight.”
The workers are demanding:
In June, over 5,500 workers at JFK8 — who first voted in favor of creating a union in 2022 — joined the Teamsters and chartered the Amazon Labor Union (ALU)-IBT Local 1. Despite consolidating their organizing strength with the backing of the Teamsters, Amazon management has dragged their feet on bargaining a first contract, hardly surprising given the company’s long-standing hostility to organized labor.
“Amazon’s refusal to negotiate is a direct attack on our rights,” said Connor Spence, president of ALU-IBT Local 1, on Friday. “If Amazon chooses to ignore us, they’re the ones ruining Christmas for millions of families. We’re not just fighting for a contract; we’re fighting for the future of worker power at Amazon and beyond.”
We, the workers at the JFK8 Amazon Fulfillment Center, have authorized the Amazon Labor Union-IBT Local 1 and the Teamsters Amazon National Negotiating Committee to call a ULP strike if Amazon doesn’t meet its legal obligation to bargain by Dec. 15.
Amazon, the clock is ticking! pic.twitter.com/kBt6cmMq93
Rank-and-file members said their demands are reasonable, especially as the company — owned by........