Amazon union in US authorises strike forward of Christmas | EUROtoday

Amazon staff within the US may go on strike forward of Christmas, after members of the Teamsters union voted to help industrial motion.

The staff say on-line 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 could possibly be affected, in keeping with a Teamsters assertion.

“The corporate elitists who run Amazon are leaving workers with no choice,” mentioned Teamsters General President Sean M O’Brien.

“Amazon must be held accountable to workers and consumers alike. If workers are forced onto the picket line, Amazon will be striking itself,” he added.

The union mentioned it represents hundreds of staff at 10 Amazon amenities throughout the US.

But an Amazon spokesperson, Eileen Hards, mentioned the union “has continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers’. They don’t”.

“The Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal”, 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 would 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Amazon mentioned the report was “wrong on the facts”, and featured “selective, outdated information that lacks context and isn’t grounded in reality”.

The firm, which employs roughly 800,000 folks within the US, has confronted accusations about unsafe circumstances at its warehouses for years.

Those considerations ramped up through the Covid pandemic, when e-commerce exploded, resulting in protests by its staff around the globe.

Amid the controversy, founder Jeff Bezos mentioned the corporate wanted to do higher by its workers.

Senator Sanders, who is thought for his pro-worker stance, launched an investigation into Amazon’s practices in June 2023. Senate staffers performed 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.