Calif. Amazon Workers Picket Warehouses in Four States Since ULP Strike Began June 24

(NORWOOD, Mass.) — Striking Amazon delivery drivers and dispatchers from Palmdale, Calif., extended their picket line to an Amazon warehouse in Massachusetts (DCB4) 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.

“Amazon is a wealthy corporation, but the workers who make it possible are all living paycheck-to-paycheck,” said Brandi Diaz, a striking Amazon driver from California who traveled to Massachusetts for the picket line. “I’m a single mother and am barely making ends meet for my three kids on Amazon’s low wages. We deserve better from Amazon. Our unfair labor practice strike will continue until Amazon stops violating the law and starts taking responsibility for the workers who deliver its packages.”

Amazon drivers and dispatchers began their unfair labor practice strike at an Amazon delivery station in Palmdale, Calif., on June 24. The Norwood, Mass., facility is the seventh Amazon warehouse that Palmdale Teamsters have picketed during their two-week strike, including warehouses in California, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

“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.

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via email