Teamsters: Workers are demonstrating against the greedy executives of the U.S. companies that make obscene profits, and now they are on them
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said. “We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They did not listen to it.
Staten Island’s Amazon workers were the first to unionize. But Amazon has continuously fought the decision in court, arguing that union leaders influenced how workers voted, an argument the National Labor Relations Board dismissed almost two years ago.
Gabriel Irizarry, a driver in Skokie, said that Amazon is one of the richest corporations in the world. They talk about taking care of their workers but when it comes to bargaining for better working conditions and wages, Amazon doesn’t respect us or our right to do that. It’s not possible for us to pay our bills.
A warehouse worker in San Francisco called the work they were doing historic. We are fighting against a vicious union-busting campaign, and we are going to win.”
The Teamsters union says workers in New York City, Atlanta, California and Illinois are joining the picket line. Warehouse workers and drivers at other facilities are prepared to strike, as well.
Sean O’Brien said in a public statement that the greedy executives had every chance to respect the people who make their obscene profits. They pushed workers to the limits, and now they pay the price. This strike is on them.”
Amazon’s record-breaking fourth quarter ended with profits of $1.8 billion in 2024, and New York Police stopped a delivery driver who attempted to leave the street
This has been a record-breaking year for Amazon. According to the company’s Q3 earnings report, the profit from July through September rose 55 percent in 2024 compared to the same period last year. Andy Jassy said the company was excited about what they have in store for customers with a press release published with the earnings report. The report anticipated net sales to be between $181.5 billion and $188.5 billion in Q4.
Meanwhile, New York Police Department officers stood in the street, sometimes shouting at and shoving workers who stepped off the sidewalk. Just after 9 am ET, NYPD arrested a delivery driver who attempted to exit his delivery van just outside the parking garage and join the strikers. At around 9:50 am, NYPD announced via loudspeaker that any workers who stood in the road would be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Shortly after, the NYPD placed a Teamsters organizer under arrest, though it’s unclear if they were in the street. Eventually, police set up barricades outside the garage and began personally organizing the delivery vans with non-striking Amazon loss-prevention workers.