Summary:

Teamsters launched a nationwide strike against Amazon impacting multiple states.
The strike occurred during the busy holiday shipping season.
The union accuses Amazon of "insatiable greed" and ignoring worker demands.
Amazon denies the union's claims, alleging intimidation tactics by the strikers.
The strike involves thousands of workers across numerous Amazon facilities.

Amazon Hit by Nationwide Teamsters Strike

The Teamsters union launched a major strike against Amazon on Thursday, impacting facilities across the US, including California, New York, Illinois, and Georgia. Thousands of workers walked off the job during the peak holiday shipping season.

Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien blamed Amazon's "insatiable greed" for the strike, stating the company ignored deadlines to negotiate fairly with workers. Amazon, however, claims the union's claims are false, stating that the Teamsters brought in outsiders to harass and intimidate their teams.

The strike specifically affects facilities in San Francisco, Victorville, City of Industry, and Palmdale (CA); Queens (NY); Skokie (IL); and Atlanta (GA).

Dia Ortiz, a worker at a New York facility, expressed the workers' determination to win the strike. While Amazon claims its operations are unaffected, the Teamsters represent nearly 9,000 workers across 20 bargaining units, highlighting the significant impact of the action. The dispute highlights the ongoing struggle between organized labor and Amazon's strong anti-union policies.

The situation escalated with a protest in Maspeth, NY, resulting in one protester being briefly detained by the NYPD for blocking a warehouse exit.

This conflict underscores the broader fight for better worker rights and conditions within the American labor movement and the power dynamics at play between one of the country's largest employers and its organized labor force.

Source: ABC7 New York