Amazon workers at two New York City warehouses are set to go on strike

Workers at two Amazon warehouses in New York City are set to go on strike after the company failed to get to the negotiating table by a December 15 deadline. Unionized workers at the JFK8 facility in Staten Island and the DBK4 warehouse in Queens Voted “overwhelmingly” To allow strikes to protest Amazon’s “unlawful refusal to recognize their union and negotiate a contract that addresses the company’s low wages and dangerous working conditions,” according to the International Brotherhood of Labor (IBT). Engadget has reached out to the Teamsters and Amazon Labor Union (ALU) for more details on the strikes.

The workers at JFK8 were The first to unionize in the United States at an Amazon warehouse. They have organized themselves under ALU, which will take place in June this year In partnership with Teamsters. The union, now known as ALU-IBT Local 1, represents about 5,500 warehouse workers at JFK8.

“Our members are prepared to do whatever it takes to get a contract,” Connor Spence, president of ALU-IBT Local 1, said in a statement. “As Amazon continues to disrespect us by refusing to listen to our concerns, our movement grows stronger.”

As for DBK4 — which the Teamsters say is Amazon’s largest delivery station in New York City — workers there voted almost unanimously to authorize a strike. Meanwhile, workers at the DIL7 delivery warehouse in Skokie, Illinois, also voted “overwhelmingly” to approve the strike. The task force members represent hundreds of workers at that plant as well. “Amazon is one of the biggest companies on Earth, but we struggle to pay our bills,” said DIL7 worker Riley Holzworth. In a statement.

Amazon has filed legal challenges against its JFK8 union election win, but has been unsuccessful in its efforts to overturn the results so far. The company appealed a ruling from the National Labor Relations Board that certified the union. like ABC News According to reports, workers claim Amazon is using the challenges as a tactic to illegally delay union contract talks.

“For more than a year now, Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public — claiming to represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.’ They do not, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative,” an Amazon spokesperson said. Eileen Hards said ABC News. “The truth is that the Teamsters threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and subject to numerous pending unfair labor practices charges.”

News of the impending strike comes after a Senate committee released a report on an investigation into safety at Amazon facilities. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions The company claimed It ignored internal research indicating a high level of infection rates in its warehouses.