News
Amazon Drivers at DBK1 Join Teamsters as Nationwide Organizing Momentum Grows
Unionization Comes as Delivery Protection Act Gains Steam in New York City Council
Press Contact: Maura Drumm Phone: (215) 510-3735 Email: mdrumm@teamster.org
(NEW YORK) – Drivers at Amazon’s DBK1 Facility in Woodside, Queens, have organized with Teamsters Local 804, joining the growing ranks of Amazon drivers organizing with the Teamsters nationwide to demand better pay, health care, and job security at the e-retail giant.
The DBK1 drivers join hundreds of their co-workers who organized with the Teamsters last year. Together, they are taking on Amazon’s corrupt third-party “Delivery Service Partner” (DSP) business model, which Amazon uses to evade accountability and legal liability as it exploits workers.
Amazon Teamsters in New York City are also leading the fight to pass the Delivery Protection Act, legislation that would ban captive subcontracting for deliveries in the city and force companies to employ their drivers directly. The bill has supermajority support from the City Council and backing from the mayoral administration.
“Amazon created the DSP model to suppress workers’ rights and safety, including the right to form a union,” said Randy Korgan, Director of the Teamsters Amazon Division. “But Amazon has no answer for worker power and Teamsters solidarity. The drivers at DBK1 are joining together as we gear up to pass the Delivery Protection Act, and they will be indispensable in getting this crucial legislation across the finish line.”
“My co-workers and I have seen how scared Amazon is of the Delivery Protection Act, and it made us realize that we only have power if we join a union,” said LeAnn Rivera, a driver at DBK1 and new member of Local 804. “We are sick and tired of Amazon’s games. By joining the Teamsters, we have the power to take this company on. We can’t wait to join the fight.”
The organizing victory comes as the Teamsters Amazon National Negotiating Committee (TANNC) extends picket lines at DBK1, demanding that Amazon end its unfair labor practices and begin bargaining a union contract with over 10,000 workers nationwide who have organized with the Teamsters.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents over 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
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