The Teamsters announced the expansion of its strikes against alleged unfair labor practices in the U.S., after workers from Amazon joined the union in a concerted effort to carry out actions against the tech monolith.
The strikes against the e-commerce giant started when 100 drivers organized a work stoppage in June at the facility of Amazon in Skokie, Illinois.
According to Teamsters, workers in Skokie were living from one paycheck to another, and had to deal with low wages. Workers were also demanding quality health care and safe working conditions.
After the initial strike in June, more strikes followed in four other states — California, Georgia, Kentucky and New York.
Unionization efforts within the tech giant’s employees grew stronger, and members of the Amazon Labor Union opted to affiliate with a larger national union of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Recognizing the vast workforce of Amazon, and with a chance to bring that power in negotiations with the company’s administration, the Teamsters saw that opportunity to organize the workforce.
In 2021, the Teamsters was able to create an internal Amazon division, and just last year, it also became one of the essential forces that helped workers at the United Parcel Service to secure more favorable contracts.
Reuters requested comment from Amazon and the Teamsters but received no response.
