Striking Amazon Employees Show Workers the Way
This holiday seasons, warehouse workers and delivery drivers at Amazon participated in a 5-day strike in nine cities.
Few people want work stoppages, but these employees say they exhausted all other means to obtain a fair contract, safe working conditions and wages that allow them to care for themselves and their families.
They appeared to be channeling the words of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass who said, “If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.”
Notoriously anti-union, striking workers at Amazon traded the status quo for longer term safety and justice for themselves and their colleagues.
The work stoppage was the largest strike in the U.S. in the company’s history. The nationwide action “follows Amazon’s repeated refusal to follow the law and bargain with thousands of Amazon workers,” according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT).
The Teamsters, which represents the workers, said the company violated federal labor law by refusing to negotiate a contract that addresses the company’s “low wages and dangerous working conditions.”
Is This an Anomaly?
We know that workers are increasingly choosing union representation. The “National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) released data showing that petitions for union representation elections have doubled since fiscal year 2021.” Companies should honor workers’ wishes and negotiate contracts in good faith. They should then ensure the safety of their teams.
Until this happens, workers will continue to build power through unions and raise awareness through work stoppages. Starbucks workers at locations in Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles also went on strike over the holiday season.
Grueling Working Conditions
For years, studies have shown that conditions inside Amazon facilities are dangerous and grueling.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders recently released a report detailing how Amazon prioritizes speed and productivity over worker safety. It cited an 18-month investigation by the United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The investigation found that Amazon warehouses recorded 30 percent more injuries than the warehouse industry average in 2023. This is shocking given that there have also been reports that the company may under report workplace injuries.
In addition, the report said Amazon workers were nearly twice as likely to be injured on the job than workers at other warehouses in each of the past seven years.
Why You Should Care
Studies from the Economic Policy Institute show that on average, in the 17 states with higher union density, workers overall fair better. For instance, these states have:
- minimum wages that are on average 19% higher than the national average and 40% higher than those in low-union-density states
- median annual incomes $6,000 higher than the national average
- higher-than-average unemployment insurance recipiency rates (that is, a higher share of those who are unemployed actually receive unemployment insurance).
Multiple indicators across finance, education and health show that workers who belong to unions fare better than others. But the benefits aren’t limited to unionized households. Persons who live in highly unionized regions, also reap benefits.
—
Chris Pugh is the media relations manager for Spotlight PR LLC and Jennifer R. Farmer is the principle for Spotlight PR LLC. Check out other blogs and subscribe for regular communications updates.