Here’s what to know about the strike and whether it will impact Amazon’s operations in Canada.
It’s been a busy season for labour unions.
Amazon in the U.S. is the latest company to be met with strike action.
Here’s what to know about the strike and whether it will impact Amazon’s operations in Canada.
What’s the situation with the Amazon strike in the U. S.?
In recent months, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have worked to organize some workers at Amazon delivery stations but mostly focused on organizing delivery drivers who work for contractors handling package deliveries.
The union had set a Sunday deadline for the company to engage in contract negotiations. The striking workers are demanding higher wages, better benefits, and safer work conditions.
The company said it disregarded the deadline because it doesn’t consider the contracted drives to be its employees. A company spokesperson said Thursday the strikers are “almost entirely outsiders, not Amazon employees or partners, and the suggestion otherwise is just another lie from the Teamsters.”
As a result, the Teamsters have launched a strike at seven of the company’s delivery hubs in the U.S. beginning Thursday.
Where are the strikes taking place?
The strikes are taking place at three delivery hubs in Southern California, and one each in San Francisco, New York City, Atlanta, Georgia, and Skokie, Ill., according to the union’s announcement.
The union hasn’t said how many workers are participating in the strike, or how long it will last.
The union, which represents 10,000 Amazon workers at 10 facilities, said workers in other locations are prepared to join the fight.
Will it impact holiday shipments in the U. S.?
Amazon says it doesn’t expect the strike to impact its operations and holiday shipments, but a walkout — especially one that lasts many days — could delay services in some metro areas.
An Amazon spokesperson said Thursday that the company intentionally builds its sites close to population hubs, schedules shipping windows and works with other large carriers, such as UPS, to deliver products.
“We believe in the strength of our network and plan for contingencies to minimize potential operational impact or costs,” the spokesperson said.
What about here in Canada? Will we see any impacts from the Amazon strike?
For those relying on Amazon to send gifts due to the recent Canada Post strike, according to an Amazon spokesperson who handles Canadian media requests, there will be no impact to Amazon operations in Canada.
“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,” said spokesperson Kelly Nantel.
Earlier this year, hundreds of workers at an Amazon facility in Delta signed confidential union cards and applied for certification with Unifor Canada. Workers then voted on whether to certify but the results are still under wraps after Unifor filed a complaint with the B.C. labour board alleging Amazon ramped up anti-union tactics.
One Amazon warehouse in Canada is unionized and located in Laval, P.Q.
With files from The Associated Press.