Amazon workers walked off the job at a “crucial” warehouse in the Inland Empire on Sunday.
The workers are engaging in an unfair labor practice strike over alleged retaliation that they faced when trying to unionize, read a joint statement from the workers and the Teamsters union, who is helping the workers organize the strike.
“The workers now on strike have the full support of more than a million Teamsters nationwide,” Director of the Teamsters Amazon Division Randy Korgan said. “Amazon has no respect for the well-being of the workers who make its profits possible, and San Bernardino workers have sent a clear message to these corporate criminals that they’ve had enough.”
The warehouse where the strike took place – the KSBD warehouse in San Bernardino – is Amazon’s largest air facility on the West Coast. The walkout comes on the heels of Prime Day, the marketplace’s incredibly popular 48-hour shopping event.
Prime Day 2024 – which took place on July 16-17 – was Amazon’s biggest ever, the company says, with record sales and more items sold during this year’s event than any other. Millions of customers worldwide signed up for Amazon Prime in the three weeks leading up to Prime Day, also a record.
According to union officials, the KSBD warehouse has been a “hotbed” for Amazon workers organizing with the Teamsters; striking employees have led numerous walkouts and strikes over alleged unfair labor practices in addition to petitioning for higher wages, heat safety measures and safer working conditions, among other priorities.
“Amazon is one of the most profitable companies in the world, but it consistently treats its workers like trash,” said Anna Ortega, an Amazon air hub worker who is organizing with the Teamsters. “We are standing up for our right to organize and to fight for a better future at Amazon.”
“If Amazon is going to retaliate against us for organizing, then we are going to hit the streets,” said Regina Herrmann, another air hub worker organizing with the Teamsters. “Amazon workers are responsible for Amazon’s huge profits, especially during Prime Day…we are united and ready to exert our collective power.”
Elsewhere in SoCal, Amazon delivery drivers in Palmdale went on strike last November; in a commentary piece published in Fortune Magazine last November, one Palmdale driver, Cecilia Porter, called her job “extreme” and said that the pressure from Amazon is “unmatched.”
Further away, a group of 104 Amazon drivers organized with the local Teamsters union in Skokie, Illinois, to demand the company refrain from union-busting tactics. According to reports, drivers there – who are employed by a separate contractor – claim Amazon retaliated against their unionization efforts by terminating their contractor’s agreement.
According to Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards, the walkout was initiated and attended by “mostly outside organizers and individuals who don’t work for Amazon.”
“Our employees have the choice of whether or not to join a union; they always have,” Hards told KTLA in a statement. “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. The fact is, Amazon already offers what many unions are requesting: safe and inclusive workplaces, competitive pay, benefits on day one and opportunities for career growth. We look forward to working directly with our employees to continue making Amazon a great place to work.”
There were no impacts on operations or deliveries to customers due to the demonstration, Hards added.