Amazon faces largest strike in US as Maspeth crews join national picket lines Thursday – QNS

Hundreds of warehouse workers and drivers walked off their jobs and joined the picket line outside the massive DBK4 Amazon facility in Maspeth Thursday morning while International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) launched the largest strike ever against the $2 trillion company in New York, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Illinois.

Amazon teammates working at other facilities across the country say they’re ready to join them.

“I’ve seen the Teamsters win big battles,” said Dia Ortiz, a DBK4 employee. “We’re ready to do what it takes to win this one.”

Nearly 10,000 Amazon workers have mobilized and joined the Teamsters fighting for higher wages, better benefits and safer working conditions. The strike began less than a week before Christmas, when the holiday rush was already underway.

“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We’ve given Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” said Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien. “These greedy leaders had every opportunity to show decency and respect to the people who enable their obscene profits. Instead, they pushed workers to the limit and now they are paying the price. This strike is against them.

Amazon said the strike was started by outsiders and non-Amazon employees.

“The truth is that they failed to gain enough support from our employees and partners and brought in outsiders to come and harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous,” said Amazon in a press release.

Brendan Radke, a Maspeth driver for two years, rejected Amazon’s claim and explained the difference between working for Amazon and United Parcel Service.

“UPS makes hundreds of billions in profits and can still pay its employees a fair share. They can still offer their workers good health benefits. They still enjoy safer working conditions and fewer injuries than Amazon,” Radke said. “But yet Amazon probably makes triple what UPS makes, and they decide they’re not going to pay their workers a fair share. And I think that’s enough. »

Radke was one of several strikers arrested by New York police when the strike began at 6 a.m. They were ticketed, released and returned directly to the picket line.

“So the cops took Amazon’s side,” Radke said. “Unfortunately, they betrayed their fellow workers and decided to play Amazon’s puppet role while we were on a legal picket line.”

Council member Tiffany Cabán joined the strikers on the picket line. The former public defender called the New York Police Department for the arrests.

“Today, Amazon Teamsters took a historic step by striking and demanding what they deserve: a fair workplace and good faith negotiations,” Cabán said. “In response, the NYPD chose to defend Amazon’s corporate greed instead of protecting New York workers. I condemn the NYPD’s use of the Strategic Response Group and the violence on the Amazon Teamsters picket line, where workers were striking peacefully – and legally.

She also accused the police of blocking the picket line and even punching the strikers.

“I condemn Amazon and the NYPD for denigrating workers’ rights under federal labor law to organize, strike, and bargain collectively in good faith,” Cabán said.

Other elected officials adopted a more measured tone.

“Amazon workers and drivers deserve a fair contract, not union busting and retaliation for speaking out against the company’s greed,” said board member Julie Won. “I have once again rallied with the Amazon Labor Union and the Teamsters to demand that Amazon do right by its workers. Amazon profits from the labor of thousands of workers who face heavy holiday workloads, unfair wages, and poor working conditions. I will continue to support Amazon employees until their demands are met. »

Assembly member Jessica González-Rojas said she was proud to join the Teamsters in what is considered the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history, and she alluded to the project of Amazon’s plans to build a headquarters in Long Island City in 2019.

“This is the second time I have joined workers at this site as we call on management to come to the table and negotiate with the thousands of Amazon workers who just want a fair contract,” González-Rojas said . “Amazon is breaking the law, but we stand with workers across the country to fight their unfair labor practices. Queens has already beaten Amazon and we’ll do it again.