Amazon delivery workers strike a few days before Christmas

Amazon faces chaos less than a week before Christmas, with thousands of workers on strike in different parts of the nation. In Southern California, the affected facilities are Palmdale, the City of Industry, Victorville and San Bernardino. 

The Amazon workers started the strike on Thursday after the corporation refused to negotiate contracts with fair wages and safer job measures. Amazon has also refused to recognize workers as part of the Teamsters union, even though thousands have signed the cards and submitted them to the National Labor Relations Board. Teamsters represents 10 Amazon facilities across the country. 

The independent federal agency protects the rights of private sector employees to join together with or without a union.

Daisy Grajeda, a single mother of four, said benefits such as medical, dental and vision are vital because, at $21.50 per hour, she can’t afford these benefits out of pocket. She is also fighting for $30 an hour. 

Grajeda, who works at the City of Industry facility, said that Amazon avoids responsibility by working with third-party companies that hire the workers. 

“We have about seven [third party] companies that have their drivers and each one receives paychecks from those companies,” said Grajeda. “But we use Amazon uniforms, we drive their vans and if we go to a client’s home they’ll identify us as Amazon drivers.”

Elissa Manookian was also protesting at the City of Industry. She said she has been with Amazon for the past two months and feels her job is already in jeopardy because she’s one of hundreds of temporary employees. 

She said they have to work to accumulate hours of sick pay or vacation time, and their health benefits remove a significant portion of their paycheck. She said when she started working for the company, she tried to get health benefits for her and her husband, but it was about $600 a month. 

“We want actual benefits that work. We just want to be treated with respect,” said Manookian. 

Stressful schedules

Some employees said they work up to 12 hours a day, skipping lunch breaks. The delivery workers explained that they have to fill out their vans with the packages and are given 15 to 20 minutes every morning to load more than 350 packages. In one day, they are required to make between 180 and 190 stops, depending on the distance, but in reality, it is more like 220 to 250 stops because some of the locations are apartment complexes or multi-houses. 

“We get a lot of pressure if we are five or ten stops behind. The work is too much for just one driver with too many packages,” said Grijalva. 

Manookian said they are required to fill their quota every day and often they put their own lives at risk. 

“When you're going into people's gated houses, you're supposed to check for a dog, you're supposed to jingle your keys, but we're not given any equipment to protect ourselves,” she said, adding that often a dog comes after them once they are inside the property. 

“I've had a co-worker get bit by a dog, one per week over the last month. I came to the face of the pit bull yesterday, and it's because you want to work faster, so you just sacrifice some of the safety, because they put this pressure on,” she said. 

Robert Gonzalez, spokesperson for the Teamsters, said that other participating cities are New York, San Francisco and Atlanta. He said there are thousands of workers who are part of the local, an affiliate of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, but Amazon still refuses to acknowledge them. 

The workers said they understand the frustration from customers who are expecting their packages on time. Still, they said that Amazon is a multi-billion dollar company that can afford to pay decent wages. 

Amazon has been at a constant growth rate since 2010, with an annual revenue of $575 billion in 2023, a 11.8% increase from the year before. 

Amazon responds

In response, Amazon said the company does not have to go to the bargaining table because there is no union yet. A representative said workers have the right to unionize, but Amazon already offers what many unions are requesting: competitive pay, health benefits on day one, and opportunities for career growth. 

Kelly Nantel, Amazon spokesperson, said that the Teamsters have tried to mislead the public for over a year, claiming they represent thousands of Amazon employees and drivers. 

“They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative. The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them,” said Nantel in a statement.  “What you’re seeing at these sites are almost entirely outsiders—not Amazon employees or partners—and the suggestion otherwise is just another lie from the Teamsters. 

She said the Teamsters were unable to get enough support from Amazon employees and partners and brought in outsiders to harass and intimidate the team. She also said that this protest may sound aggressive but will not impact customers’ orders.