With just a few days before Christmas and with the volume of gift deliveries only increasing, the Teamsters union says the roughly 10,000 Amazon workers it represents are now on strike.
Amazon leadership has disputed that characterization, however. Here’s the latest on what we know about the Amazon worker strike.
Are Amazon workers on strike?
According to several published reports, 10,000 Amazon workers went on strike at locations across the country early Thursday
A fleet of delivery vans stands ready to deliver merchandise from the Amazon delivery station in Mahwah.
The Teamsters also confirmed the strike through a news release on its website.
“Workers will join the picket line from DBK4 in New York City; DGT8 in Atlanta; DFX4, DAX5, and DAX8 in Southern California; DCK6 in San Francisco; and DIL7 in Skokie, Ill,” read the Teamsters’ news release. “Amazon Teamsters at other facilities are prepared to join them.
Striking Amazon workers flooded social media with posts and videos of the work stoppage.
Will the Amazon strike delay Christmas deliveries?
Teamsters leadership said the strike will impact your holiday season deliveries.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien in a statement included in the strike confirmation press release. “These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible.
“Instead, they’ve pushed workers to the limit and now they’re paying the price. This strike is on them.”
Teamsters claim the union represents those workers because of prior organizing efforts and their participation in the strike. Amazon, though, says no employee group has voted to unionize under Teamsters so the union doesn’t represent them.
In the published report, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the Teamsters were intentionally misleading the public by claiming representation.
Nantel also confirmed that these actions by the Teamsters will not impact deliveries.
But to be on the safe side, anyone sending out Christmas gifts via Amazon should check the expected delivery time for any delays.
Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Will Amazon strike delay Christmas deliveries