Press Releases
Teamsters Picket Line at Amazon Spreads to Connecticut Warehouse
California Amazon Workers Picket Warehouses in Three States Since ULP Strike Began June 24
(NORTH HAVEN, Conn.) — Striking Amazon delivery drivers and dispatchers from Palmdale, Calif., extended their picket line to an Amazon warehouse in Connecticut (BDL3) today, to demand the e-commerce giant stop its unfair labor practices. The growing strike will continue until Amazon reinstates the unlawfully terminated Palmdale employees, recognizes the Teamsters, respects the contract negotiated by the workers, and bargains with the Teamsters Union to address low pay and dangerous working conditions.
“I’ve been bitten by a dog and felt close to fainting in the back of Amazon’s sweltering vans, but Amazon only cares about whether the packages get delivered,” said Cecilia Porter, a striking Amazon driver from California who traveled to Connecticut for the picket line. “Our safety is not Amazon’s priority, so we are protecting ourselves by organizing a union. We are going to continue our unfair labor practice strike until Amazon respects our rights.”
Amazon drivers and dispatchers began their unfair labor practice strike at an Amazon delivery station in Palmdale on June 24. The North Haven, Conn., facility is the sixth Amazon warehouse Palmdale Teamsters have picketed during their nearly two-week strike. They picketed an Amazon sortation center in New Jersey yesterday and several warehouses in California last week.
“These Amazon workers organized a union for fair pay and safe jobs, but Amazon illegally refused to recognize their union or bargain with them,” said Victor Mineros, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 396 in Los Angeles. “The support from communities around these warehouses and other workers in this industry has been tremendous. We are going to hold this corporate criminal accountable for how it treats the workers who wear its uniforms and deliver its packages.”
The 84 workers in Palmdale joined Teamsters Local 396 and bargained a contract with Amazon’s Delivery Service Partner (DSP), Battle-Tested Strategies (BTS), in April. Despite the absolute control it wields over BTS and workers’ terms and conditions of employment, Amazon has refused to recognize and honor the union contract. Instead, Amazon has engaged in dozens of unfair labor practices in violation of federal labor law, including terminating the entire unit of newly organized workers.
Amazon drivers in Palmdale organized with the Teamsters to protect their safety in extreme temperatures, which regularly exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit during Palmdale summers. Their Teamster contract guarantees the rights of workers to drive safe equipment and refuse unsafe deliveries. Making the contract’s protections a reality will require an overhaul of Amazon’s exploitative labor practices.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.