Amazon Warehouse Workers Across 8 Facilities Now On Strike

Labor tensions between Amazon and its workforce have escalated in recent years as allegations of unsafe working conditions have been made public, along with a growing interest among employees to unionize and organize labor under a collective bargaining agreement to improve workplace safety and align compensation with current market rates. After Amazon allegedly failed to respond to a Teamsters request to “come to the table” by Dec 15, 2024. The Teamsters approved a strike and 7 out of 10 unionized facilities took to the picket line representing the “largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history,” targeting major delivery hubs in New York, Georgia, Illinois, and California.

Thirteen (13) months after sending an open letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in June 2023 regarding investigations into the working conditions at the e-commerce giant’s facilities, (and a call for Amazon employees to come forward with stories), the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee led by Chair, Senator Bernie Sanders, of Vermont (I), published a report titled “PEAK SEASONS, PEAK INJURIES: Amazon Warehouses Are Especially Dangerous During Prime Day and the Holiday Season—and the Company Knows It”.

The report describes just how bad the rate of recordable injuries is (10 out of every 100 workers) and goes on to indicate that 10% is more than double the industry average injury rate over the last seven years. If all injuries reported by employees were considered, (not just the ones required to be submitted to OSHA), the injury rate is closer to 50%! It’s no wonder employees in many facilities have been wanting to unionize and negotiate better working conditions, despite Amazon’s well-publicized efforts to thwart unionization attempts.

Workplace Safety Concerns and Senate Allegations

Amazon faces sharp criticism from workers and drivers alike over its workplace safety practices. The HELP Committee’s investigation uncovered alarming data regarding the company’s warehouses. The report alleges that Amazon prioritized productivity over safety, creating a “uniquely dangerous” environment. Internal company studies, such as Project Elderwand and Project Soteria, identified that high rates of repetitive motions led to elevated injury risks. The latter study even showed that injury rates dropped when speed-based disciplinary measures were temporarily suspended during the pandemic (i.e. when allowed to work at a slower pace, risk for injury went down).

Despite these findings, Amazon reportedly rejected safety recommendations that would reduce productivity, alleging that the company manipulates injury data to obscure risks. Additionally, workers reported being discouraged from seeking external medical care, and some were terminated while on approved medical leave.

Amazon has dismissed these findings as outdated and selective examples unrepresentative of the whole. The company cites improvements in workplace safety and claims a 28% reduction in incident rates since 2019. However, these assertions have done little to deter criticism from lawmakers and labor organizers.

Amazon Workers Path to Unionization

Unionization efforts at Amazon gained meaningful momentum in 2022 when workers at the Staten Island, NY warehouse voted in favor of organizing labor. Then in June 2024, the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), which led the Staten Island push, successfully affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), consolidating the movement and enabling more resources to further their goals. The new partnership also enabled the ALU to leverage the Teamsters’ extensive resources to target multiple facilities simultaneously. Today, the Teamsters represent approximately 10,000 Amazon workers and contractors across warehouses, delivery hubs, and air facilities.

Financial Context and Broader Implications

As the second-largest private employer in the United States, Amazon’s practices have far-reaching implications for workplace standards in the online retail and logistics sectors. Internationally, Amazon’s labor policies have also come under scrutiny. For example, German workers represented by the United Services Union announced strikes alongside the American workers to show support and solidarity.

Summary

The strikes last week represent a critical juncture in the ongoing labor struggle between Amazon and its workforce. While the coordinated pickets disrupted some fulfillment and warehousing operations, Amazon asserts that on-time delivery remains unaffected. Participation levels varied, with some sites seeing dozens of picketers while others reported normal activities. The Teamsters claim “thousands” of members are currently on strike and have vowed to expand their efforts, threatening to picket additional facilities if their demands continue to be ignored.

Meanwhile, legislative efforts, including Senator Sanders’ proposed Warehouse Worker Protection Act and Protecting America’s Workers Act, aim to address safety and accountability issues at companies like Amazon. If passed, these proposals would increase transparency around work quotas and impose stricter penalties for safety violations.

Amazon’s resistance to unionization reflects broader tensions in a digital economy where traditional labor protections often clash with new business models. And as organized labor continues to push back against one of the world’s most influential companies, the outcome of these unionization and labor strike efforts could reshape labor relations far beyond the e-commerce and logistics industries, potentially extending to manufacturing and other assembly line-like workflows.