Amazon Delivery Drivers’ Strike Raises Joint Employer Question

A group of delivery drivers based in Southern California contracted with Amazon.com Inc. have been striking for nearly three weeks, but questions remain whether the workers are actually considered Amazon employees and what the strike could mean for the e-commerce giant.

The drivers are technically employees of Battle-Tested Strategies, a “delivery service partner” whose sole client is Amazon. According to Amazon’s company website, these partners are designed to “empower leaders who want to launch and operate their own delivery business.”

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 396, the union representing the drivers, however, says that the business model is ...