Amazon Teamsters Authorize Strikes at Two NY Warehouses (2)

Unionized Amazon workers at two New York warehouses gave their leaders the authority to call a strike as soon as next week, threatening a work stoppage unless the e-commerce giant comes to the bargaining table.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters gave Amazon a Dec. 15 deadline to begin negotiating in earnest or face a strike of at least 5,500 workers just 10 days before Christmas, the group said Friday.

“We’ve been clear: Amazon has until December 15 to come to the table and bargain for a contract,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “If these white-collar criminals want to keep breaking the law, they better get ready for a fight.”

It’s one of the first major actions since the independent Amazon Labor Union merged with the Teamsters in June. The group won a stunning upset in 2022 at Amazon’s JFK8 Staten Island warehouse, becoming the first unionized Amazon warehouse in the US.

The approved strikes would affect JFK8 as well as Amazon’s DBK4 facility in Queens, the union said.

Past walkouts and Amazon facilities haven’t had a major impact on the company’s operations. Amazon has a handful of major warehouses in and around New York, and several small delivery depots scattered around the city.

Amazon has refused to recognize the union, and waged a legal battle to abolish the National Labor Relations Board. In a statement, company spokeswoman Eileen Hards said that the Teamsters have “intentionally misled the public” over how many workers and drivers it represents.

“The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges,” Hards said.