Amazon Workers Continue to Build Historic Union Momentum in Coast-to-Coast Organizing Drive with Teamsters

(CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif.) – Hundreds of Amazon drivers at the company’s DAX5 facility in City of Industry, California, have formed a union with the Teamsters. The workers demanded union recognition from Amazon with a “March on the Boss.” This is the second Amazon warehouse to join the Teamsters in the greater Los Angeles area since October and the fourth in California overall.

Amazon workers at DAX5 are fighting for better pay, safe working conditions, and a voice on the job. Many work part-time and are denied basic benefits.

“I’ve worked at Amazon for six years dealing with an increasing workload and no vacation time or sick days. We need a union to fight for what we deserve,” said Vanessa Valdez, an Amazon Teamster at DAX5. “As a single mother and sole provider of five daughters, I can’t accept subpar benefits and unlivable wages, and I shouldn’t have to when I work at one of the world’s most profitable companies. I’m so proud to be joining the Teamsters and coming together with Amazon warehouse workers and drivers across the country to fight for living wages and fair treatment.”

This year alone, hundreds of Amazon workers coast-to-coast have joined the Teamsters, from warehouse workers in San Francisco to delivery drivers in Queens, N.Y.  and Victorville, California, and now City of Industry. Meanwhile, workers in Kentucky and California have walked off the job in protest of the company’s unfair labor practices. The growing momentum is inspiring more Amazon workers to join the Teamsters.

“With peak season just around the corner, there’s no better time for Amazon workers to stand together and demand better. The physical and mental toll Amazon delivery drivers like me go through every day, and even more so during the holidays, isn’t sustainable, especially since Amazon does not pay us a living wage,” said Richard Smith, an Amazon Teamster at DAX5. “We joined the Teamsters to send Amazon a message: We are overworked, underpaid, and ready to fight for what we deserve.”

As Amazon warehouse workers make historic inroads, Amazon drivers continue to build nationwide momentum to organize. In August, Amazon drivers in Palmdale, Calif., secured a monumental victory when National Labor Relations Board Region 31 made a determination that Amazon is a joint employer of its drivers, and therefore has a legal duty to recognize and bargain with the Teamsters. This joint employer determination sets a major precedent and is applicable to Amazon drivers who work under similar conditions nationwide.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 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