Amazon staff within the US might go on strike forward of Christmas, after members of the Teamsters union voted to assist industrial motion.
The employees say the net retail big has refused to recognise their union and ignored a 15 December deadline to carry talks over their contract.
Amazon’s amenities in Southern California, New York and Illinois might be affected, in line with a Teamsters assertion.
“The company elitists who run Amazon are leaving staff with no alternative,” mentioned Teamsters Basic President Sean M O’Brien.
“Amazon should be held accountable to staff and shoppers alike. If staff are pressured onto the picket line, Amazon shall be placing itself,” he added.
The union mentioned it represents 1000’s of staff at 10 Amazon amenities throughout the US.
However an Amazon spokesperson, Eileen Hards, mentioned the union “has continued to deliberately mislead the general public – claiming that they characterize ‘1000’s of Amazon staff and drivers’. They do not”.
“The Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and tried to coerce Amazon staff and third-party drivers to affix them, which is against the law”, she added.
Earlier this week, a congressional investigation concluded that the e-commerce big pushes its US warehouse staff to meet orders at speeds that might trigger excessive charges of damage.
The investigation led by Democrat senator Bernie Sanders additionally mentioned the corporate had refused to introduce adjustments to enhance security due to considerations about its earnings.
Amazon mentioned the report was “mistaken on the details”, and featured “selective, outdated info that lacks context and is not grounded in actuality”.
The corporate, which employs roughly 800,000 individuals within the US, has confronted accusations about unsafe circumstances at its warehouses for years.
These considerations ramped up in the course of the Covid pandemic, when e-commerce exploded, resulting in protests by its staff world wide.
Amid the controversy, founder Jeff Bezos mentioned the corporate wanted to do higher by its staff.
Senator Sanders, who is understood for his pro-worker stance, launched an investigation into Amazon’s practices in June 2023. Senate staffers carried out 135 interviews and reviewed greater than 1,000 paperwork.
Their evaluation of public information discovered that warehouses operated by Amazon recorded over 30% extra accidents than the warehousing business common in 2023.
