Amazon.com workers at seven U.S. plants walked off the job early Thursday during the holiday shopping rush, protesting the retail giant's unfair treatment of workers.
Warehouse workers in cities including New York, Atlanta and San Francisco were involved in what Teamsters officials called the largest-ever strike against Amazon, but one that may barely affect the company's broad-based shipping operations.
CBC News contacted Amazon to ask whether the strike would impact its operations in Canada.
“There have been no strikes or operational impacts in Canada,” the spokesman said.
As the world's second-largest private employer after Walmart, Amazon has long been a target of labor unions, which say the company's emphasis on ever-increasing speed and efficiency can lead to injuries. The company says it pays the highest wages in the industry and uses automation designed to reduce repetitive stress.
Amazon shares rose 1.8% on Thursday afternoon.
Workers told Reuters they want Amazon to come to the negotiating table and acknowledge the pressure to meet demands affecting their health. But the strikers represent a small number of the more than 800,000 people employed by Amazon at more than 600 U.S. fulfillment centers, delivery stations and same-day facilities.
“(Amazon) pretends it doesn't have a quota system, but there is a rigorous quota system that unnaturally pushes people beyond their actual physical limits,” said Jordan Soreff, 63, who delivers about 300 packages a day for Amazon in New York City neighborhoods – Queens and Brooklyn.
“The more you do, the more is expected of you.”
Soreff was one of about 100 people outside the Amazon facility in Queens, including many Teamsters members who do not work for Amazon. However, the facility remained operational, with other drivers arriving at work and then leaving in trucks, assisted by police who kept protesters from blocking drivers.
Amazon accuses the union of intentionally misleading the public
The drivers “intentionally misled the public” and “threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce” workers and third-party drivers to join them, an Amazon spokesman said.
Amazon has multiple locations in many U.S. metropolitan areas, which protects it from potential disruptions. The company said it did not expect any impact on operations during one of its busiest times of the year. In 2023, the company sold more than 500 million products from third-party sellers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“It is possible that there will be isolated cases of delays. I just don't think they're going to have a material impact,” said Morningstar analyst Dan Romanoff.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced a $2.1 billion U.S. investment to boost wages for delivery and transportation workers in the United States, increasing workers' base wages by at least $1.50 to about $22 an hour.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters gave Amazon a December 15 deadline to begin negotiations, but that day passed without talks. The drivers claim to represent 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, but the e-commerce giant disputes this, saying there have been no elections or negotiations for the locations.