As the holiday season draws near, a labor dispute has emerged that could potentially impact Amazon's delivery operations. In a move that has caught the attention of many, drivers affiliated with the Teamsters union have initiated a strike across several facilities in four different states, just days before the Christmas rush. Despite the union's claim to represent a significant number of Amazon's workforce, the actual percentage is less than 1% of the company's total U.S. employees. The dispute extends beyond the typical concerns of wages and benefits, with Amazon contesting the very status of these workers as its own employees, despite their Amazon-branded attire and the exclusive delivery of Amazon packages.

"The delay of your holiday packages can be directly attributed to Amazon's relentless pursuit of profit. We provided Amazon with a clear deadline to engage in discussions and address the concerns of our members, but they chose to ignore it," stated Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien in a public message. "We are fighting for the basic benefits and necessities that are standard in our industry," echoed driver Luke Cianciotto, speaking to the media outside the Skokie facility on the eve of the strike. "For many of us, there are no Christmas gifts this year. The wages and hours we work for Amazon are simply insufficient in today's economy."

Amazon, however, has assured customers that their holiday deliveries will not be affected by the strike. The company has emphasized that the Teamsters do not represent any individuals on its payroll. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has only recognized one group of Amazon workers as part of a union, and that particular location in Staten Island, New York, has not yet seen a strike, despite having authorized one.

"There are many complexities in this situation, but it's important to clarify that the Teamsters do not represent any Amazon employees, contrary to their assertions," said Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson. "This entire narrative is a public relations maneuver, and the Teamsters' actions this year and this week are in violation of the law."

The strike began at a facility in Queens at 6 am ET on Thursday, followed by workers in Skokie, Illinois, an hour later. By 9 am ET, the strike had spread to locations in Atlanta, San Francisco, Victorville, and the City of Industry in California. According to Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix, a company that tracks package delivery data, the impact on Amazon's shipments will be minimal due to the vast number of facilities the company operates and the limited number affected by the strike. He likened the situation to a weather event, such as an ice storm, stating that Amazon would be able to ship products from other locations and would not be shut down. "Some packages that might have taken one day to deliver will now take two, and those that might have taken two days will take three, but the number won't be significant," he explained.

Jindel also noted that unlike a weather event, which has a clear end, the negative sentiments stirred by the strike could linger beyond its conclusion. The union has highlighted Amazon's soaring profits, particularly in recent years. The company reported a net income of $39.2 billion in the first nine months of this year, more than double that of the same period in 2023, with a total revenue of $450.2 billion, making it the world's second-largest private company by revenue, just behind Walmart.

"It's no longer about packages over people, profit over people. It's about people over packages, people over profits," declared Ash'shura Brooks, another driver in Skokie, outside the facility. The duration of the strike remains uncertain. Shorter strikes have become more popular in recent years, sometimes achieving great success, as seen in the 2023 strike at healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente. This contrasts with more traditional, open-ended strikes that continue until a new labor agreement is reached, as was the case with recent strikes at Boeing, the Big Three automakers, and Hollywood studios.

Given that the Teamsters claim their members are striking because Amazon refuses to negotiate, and Amazon maintains it does not recognize the union, an open-ended strike seems unlikely. A union spokesperson only stated on Thursday that the strike would last more than one day. However, by timing the strike just before Christmas and Hanukkah, the Teamsters hope to exert maximum pressure on Amazon and possibly encourage some customers to seek alternative shopping options for last-minute gifts.

At the locations currently on strike and scheduled to strike on Thursday, the union claims to represent drivers working for an Amazon contractor. The union argues that, under a rule announced by the NLRB, they can be considered joint employers—both the delivery service and Amazon. However, Amazon and other business groups are challenging this rule. Brooks and Cianciotto mocked the idea that they are not Amazon employees, even though their immediate employer is a third-party contractor. Brooks called the company's claim "heartbreaking… for Amazon to tell us we're not Amazon drivers, when we wear Amazon vests and deliver in Amazon vans." Cianciotto said the use of third-party contractors is simply a way for Amazon to evade responsibility in negotiating with the drivers.

But the joint employer rule that the union is relying on to secure a better deal for drivers is at risk of being revoked once President-elect Trump appoints a more business-friendly NLRB General Counsel and board members early next year. The Teamsters have not only set up picket lines at the facilities on strike but also at other Amazon distribution centers. The union reported on Friday that these protests have expanded to 199 facilities nationwide; however, the protests did not involve any work stoppage by drivers making deliveries. Amazon criticized these protests, claiming they were an attempt to intimidate workers who wanted to continue working.

"What you see here are almost entirely outsiders—not Amazon employees or partners—and the suggestion otherwise is just another lie from the Teamsters," said Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hand. "The truth is that they were unable to garner enough support from our employees and partners and have brought in outsiders to harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous. We appreciate all our team's great work to serve their customers and communities and are continuing to focus on getting customers their holiday orders."

Confirmed that some individuals on the picket lines were Teamsters from other industries. However, having non-strikers on a picket line is not unusual during a strike and is not necessarily a sign of intimidation efforts. "Teamster members from across the country have joined picket lines in front of Amazon facilities not to intimidate the company but to support these Amazon workers who have been treated unfairly and to let them know that they're not alone," said David Estes, a locomotive engineer and Teamsters member who was on a picket line at an Amazon facility in Dupont, Washington, just outside of Tacoma.

It's not just drivers working for independent contractors that Amazon refuses to recognize as Teamsters members. Amazon shows no indication that it is willing to reach a deal with the Teamsters or even acknowledges that the union speaks for any of its workers, despite the union's claim that employees at numerous Amazon facilities have signed cards expressing their desire to join.

Unions typically secure representation of workers by filing for elections overseen by the NLRB. While voluntary recognition of a union by an employer is allowed under labor law, it is relatively rare and seems virtually impossible in this case given Amazon's stated positions. Instead of seeking votes to win representation recognized by the NLRB, the union is demanding that Amazon recognize workers who have signed cards asking to join the union.

An emerging union, the Amazon Labor Union, won such a vote at Amazon's Staten Island facility in April 2022. And that vote was certified by the NLRB. But despite repeated setbacks in court, Amazon continues to fight the results of that election in further court appeals. Other union representation votes have failed at other Amazon facilities before and since then.

The ALU members voted in June to affiliate with the Teamsters, which is one of the nation's largest and most powerful unions with 1.3 million members. "Our employees have a choice of whether or not to join a union. They always have," said Amazon's Nantel. "We favor opportunities for each person to be respected and valued as an individual and to have their unique voice heard by working directly with our team."

Amazon has stated that it believes the 2022 election in Staten Island was not a level playing field and that the results certified by the NLRB do not accurately reflect the opinion of the workers at the facility. The union did not announce a strike at the Staten Island warehouse, even though the union had previously announced a strike had been authorized by rank-and-file members there. The union did not immediately say why those members were not set to join the strike.