Illinois Amazon strike: Could your package be delayed? What to know as warehouse workers across the US strike

Thousands of Amazon workers will go on strike in the middle of the holiday shipping season, including at a facility in suburban Chicago.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said workers at seven Amazon facilities, including an Amazon warehouse in SkokieA strike will begin on Thursday morning. The measure is an effort by the union to Pressure the e-commerce company to reach a labor agreement. during a key purchasing period.

Early Thursday, several workers outside the Skokie Amazon facility could be seen holding strike signs along the sidewalk and on the street around the warehouse. NBC 5’s Lisa Chavarria said the Skokie facility employs approximately 400 drivers.

The Teamsters say workers, who authorized strikes in recent days, are joining the picket after Amazon ignored the Dec. 15 deadline the union set for contract negotiations.

The Teamsters say they represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, a small portion of the 1.5 million people Amazon employs in its warehouses and corporate offices.

In a warehouse, located in the Staten Island borough of New York City, thousands of workers who voted for the Amazon Workers Union in 2022 and have since affiliated with the Teamsters. At the other facilities, employees – including many delivery drivers – have unionized with them demonstrating majority support but without holding government-administered elections.

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Where does Amazon draw attention?

The strikes taking place on Thursday will take place at an Amazon warehouse in San Francisco, California, and at six delivery stations in Southern California, in New York City; Atlanta, Georgia and Skokie, Illinois, according to the union’s announcement. Amazon workers at the other facilities are “prepared to unite,” the union said.

“Amazon is pushing its workers closer to the picket line by not showing them the respect they have earned,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.

The Seattle-based online retailer has been trying to redo the election that led to the union victory at the Staten Island warehouse, which the Teamsters now represent. In the process, the company has filed a lawsuit. challenging constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board.

Meanwhile, Amazon claims that the delivery drivers the Teamsters have been organizing for more than a year are not its employees. Under its business model, drivers work for third-party companies, called Delivery Service Partners, that deliver millions of packages to customers every day.

“For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public, claiming they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.’ They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement.

The Teamsters have argued that Amazon essentially controls everything drivers do and should be classified as an employer. Some US labor regulators they have sided with the union in filings made before the NLRB. In September, Amazon raised driver pay amid growing pressure.

Could Amazon’s strike affect shipping and delivery during the holidays?

Amazon says it does not expect an impact on its operations during what the union calls the largest strike against the company in US history.

While the company has not yet issued a statement on the Teamsters’ move, Amazon earlier this week issued a statement to NBC News saying that additional warehouses and distribution centers would help prevent large-scale disruptions.

“The company is a large network. Christmas is not going broke for anyone,” Amazon said.

The Teamsters issued the following statement regarding the strike in a press release:

“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. “We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do what’s right for our members. These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, they have led to workers to the limit and now they are paying the price. This blow is for them.”

According to the union, other facilities will also be picketed across the country, allowing workers and drivers who are not currently members of the union to participate in the strike if they wish.

According to Teamsters officials, nearly 10,000 workers have joined unions nationwide. According to Reuters, that represents approximately 1% of the company’s hourly workforce.

“Amazon is one of the largest companies in the world, but we are struggling to pay our bills,” said DIL7 worker Riley Holzworth. “Other workers are seeing our example and joining our movement, because we will only receive the treatment we deserve if we fight for it.”

According to the Teamsters, Amazon has “unlawfully refused” to recognize unions and has refused to collectively negotiate a labor agreement at the Skokie facility.

The Teamsters gave Amazon a Dec. 15 deadline to enter negotiations, which union officials say the company ignored.

A statement from Amazon to NBC Chicago said the Teamsters do not represent as many employees as they claim, adding in part:

“The Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers into joining them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union,” the statement said.