10,000 Amazon Workers Go On Strike Ahead of Holiday Rush (pcmag.com) 53
An anonymous reader quotes a report from PCMag: Amazon employees are striking after the online retail giant missed a deadline to begin negotiations for a union contract. Roughly 10,000 employees have gone on strike as of Dec. 19. Workers are forming picket lines in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco, and Skokie, IL. Per a press release from the Teamsters, employees at other facilities have authorized strikes as well. Local unions are also putting up picket lines at hundreds of fulfillment centers nationwide, which could cause package delays ahead of the holidays.
"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," says Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "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."
The Teamsters say this is "the largest strike against Amazon in US history." Amazon tells CBS News it doesn't expect it to impact its operations; the company employs 1.5 million people in its warehouses and corporate offices. The workers claim that Amazon has engaged in illegal anti-union behavior while failing to provide employees with better pay and better working conditions. "They talk a big game about taking care of their workers, but when it comes down to it, Amazon does not respect us and our right to negotiate for better working conditions and wages," said Gabriel Irizarry, a driver at DIL7 in Skokie, IL. "We can't even afford to pay our bills." For its part, Amazon claims the Teamsters have "continued to intentionally mislead the public" about the situation.
An Amazon spokesperson told NBC News: "The truth is that 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."
You can read the Teamster's press release here.
"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," says Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "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."
The Teamsters say this is "the largest strike against Amazon in US history." Amazon tells CBS News it doesn't expect it to impact its operations; the company employs 1.5 million people in its warehouses and corporate offices. The workers claim that Amazon has engaged in illegal anti-union behavior while failing to provide employees with better pay and better working conditions. "They talk a big game about taking care of their workers, but when it comes down to it, Amazon does not respect us and our right to negotiate for better working conditions and wages," said Gabriel Irizarry, a driver at DIL7 in Skokie, IL. "We can't even afford to pay our bills." For its part, Amazon claims the Teamsters have "continued to intentionally mislead the public" about the situation.
An Amazon spokesperson told NBC News: "The truth is that 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."
You can read the Teamster's press release here.
Username checks out (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
And what does the mob have to do with [building America]?
Nothing.
Re:Nice delivery business you got there (Score:5, Informative)
Time was, commie sympathizing sabotage was illegal and the domain the law enforcement, not fawning media coverage.
A legal strike (which is what the Amazon workers are on) is not "commie sympathizing sabotage." It's a First Amendment right.
Overall wages and wealth were going up in those days, rather than stagnating.
Because unions helped them to go up?
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What? Did you get ChatGPT to hallucinate that answer for you? The first amendment allows you to protest and petition the government, it doesn't have anything to do with strikes or collective bargaining.
In fact:
"The Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment, Fifth Amendment, and 13th Amendment don't prohibit restrictions on the right to strike" - Bloomberg Law
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Oops, you're correctt: the right to strike is not provided in the constitution. It's in section 7 of the NLRA. [nlrb.gov]
However, the First Amendment does grant unions the right to exist.
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What is a strike, if not a protest?
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"The Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment, Fifth Amendment, and 13th Amendment don't prohibit restrictions on the right to strike" - Bloomberg Law
Funny, that. The supreme court ruled that rich people actions (donating unlimited money) is speech, but poor people actions (striking) are not. That's the great thing bout a constitution, with the right judges it can mean anything you want it to!
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That's the great thing bout a constitution, with the right judges it can mean anything you want it to!
Youse don't need a consTition for that. Just some good ol' money.
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The good old days before we were born. What a time it was to be alive.
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Remember those heady, halcyon days before vaccines and antibiotics? Boy, those were the good old days...
Google "Amazon Piss Jugs" (Score:1)
Have at it (Score:2)
I don't buy from Amazon, but this will mean fewer vehicles on the road which means less traffic, which is a good thing.
Re:Have at it (Score:5, Informative)
this will mean fewer vehicles on the road which means less traffic
If people can't buy from Amazon, they'll drive to the mall, which means more traffic.
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What mall? We're told malls are shutting down because people are shopping online.
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Many malls have, which means people will need to drive even further to get to one. EVEN MORE TRAFFIC.
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I've found that everything is cheaper on eBay
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Which of those, did the CEO do to earn his pay-rise?
Going forward, Amazon will only hire people who know how little they are worth. That is, until Trump deports them.
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Are you under the impression that being hired as a CEO of a company, especially a conglomerate like Amazon, is given out to rando unskilled workers? Or do you think that it's based on some kind of lottery system?
Do simpletons really think this when they're complaining about other peoples hard-earned fortune?
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Are you under the impression that being hired as a CEO of a company, especially a conglomerate like Amazon, is given out to rando unskilled workers?
No, you have to be part of a very exclusive club of unskilled workers.
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Are you under the impression that being hired as a CEO of a company, especially a conglomerate like Amazon, is given out to rando unskilled workers?
I'd wager a "rando unskilled worker" could do as good a job as 90% of the CEOs out there. Hell I bet a magic 8 ball could keep a company from going under.
Do simpletons really think this when they're complaining about other peoples hard-earned fortune?
Christ, you're an insufferable cunt. I can only imagine how many restaurants have spit in your food.
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Do simpletons really think this when they're complaining about other peoples hard-earned fortune?
Nope, simpletons think this when they are trying to justify some jackass getting paid 300x more than the average employee in the same company.
Re:I never understood... (Score:4, Insightful)
...how so many unskilled and underskilled people think they're worth far more than what Amazon thinks they are.
FTFY. And I can certainly understand it.
Instead of learning a new skill that's more valuable to an employer or starting their own business they just throw tantrums demanding more money while not doing anything new or additional to earn it.
More like they want a fair wage for a day's work, plus some benefits and improvements in working conditions. Try working for Amazon and see what side you're on.
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Because money isn't about fairness, it's about power.
Re:I never understood... (Score:4, Insightful)
Lol, new skills don't mean shit to employers today. They have no shortage of applicants who will do your job for less pay.
I'd love to start my own business but my family needs health insurance. That's going to cost thousands per month on top of business expenses.
Modern day wage-slavery (Score:1)
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Bullshit. Nothing says I have to pay a wage that somebody else decides is enough, other than the federal minimum wage.
Seattle's minimum wage will increase to $20.76 on Jan 1st. This is $43,180 a year, more than the starting salary of teachers in 34 states. I'm not sure the barista or dishwasher or maid or construction flagger has dedicated six years of college like those teachers in 34 states.
There is no law that says every company has to pay a "living wage" for every location to every level of employee.
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Re: Modern day wage-slavery (Score:2)
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Seattle's minimum wage will increase to $20.76 on Jan 1st. This is $43,180 a year, more than the starting salary of teachers in 34 states. I
While that is a good argument to raise the starting wage of teachers. That's $11.33 per hour in year 2000 dollars, or $23,566 per year. Inflation is real. Minimum wage should increase to reflect it.
Re: I never understood... (Score:3)
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Which takes money, and usually fails while putting you into (more) debt. Get real. Even if you manage to break even some corporate conglomerate will see the opportunity to 'compete' and take your business.
There simply isn't enough high pay jobs for manual labor or mental labor. Those at the top hoard money instead of spreading it to their employees, that's their right but they should be taxed accordingly. And the employees have the right to stop work.
Yes let's blame the m
How to get your boss, who hires lots of robots.... (Score:1)
Teamsters for Trump (Score:1, Insightful)
Re: Teamsters for Trump (Score:3)
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From this, we can deduce that unions work in Belgium, a country of 12 million like-thinking people, 0.03 the size of the US.
Re: Teamsters for Trump (Score:3)
Re: Teamsters for Trump (Score:3)
Wife: The most useless person in our workplace got a promotion just because the union said so, I hate unions!
Me: So why don't you work at company X, Y, or Z? They aren't unionized.
Wife: There is no way I could support myself on what they pay!
Therein lies the rub.
ingratiating (Score:2)
I'm pretty confident this will ingratiate the Teamsters to the public.
If you want to get people to hate your cause (Score:1)
They try that in Germany every year a few times (Score:2)
Never works, Amazon is just logisticking around it.