Procrastinators take notice: Amazon workers began a strike Thursday morning, Dec. 19, as we enter the final shopping days before Christmas next week.
Workers are striking at several locations around the United States as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters try to apply pressure on the online retailer by threatening to delay some of Amazon’s package deliveries during one of the company’s busiest times of the year.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement.
Amazon has said the work stoppage is largely not anticipated to slow its operations.
Amazon workers authorize strikes in several states
The Teamsters represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, which is about 1% of Amazon’s hourly workforce, Reuters reported.
The union is fighting for a contract guaranteeing higher wages and improved work conditions.
As of Thursday morning, the strikes were expected to take place at sites in New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco, Skokie, Illinois; and Southern California.
Teamsters local unions also are putting up picket lines at hundreds of Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide, the union said Thursday.
Are there Amazon strikes at any Florida locations?
At an Amazon Fulfillment Center in Opa-locka, two Teamsters held signs calling the company “unfair,” while delivery truck drivers made their way into the facility, according to NBC Miami.
Will Amazon strike affect Florida shoppers?
Amazon representatives told CNN Tuesday the strikes would not interrupt holiday business.
In 2023, Amazon accounted for 29 percent of all global online orders in the two weeks leading up to Christmas, according to Newsweek.
Many of the workers involved in the work stoppage are drivers. Amazon has argued the drivers are not its employees, but work for a third-party business, company spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement to Fox Business.
Are there any Amazon fulfillment or distribution centers in Florida?
There are more than 80 Amazon fulfillment and distribution centers in Florida.
Among them are fulfillment centers in Orlando, Groveland, Temple Terrace, Ocala, Deltona, Jacksonville and Tallahassee, along with many more scattered around the state.
Contributor: Eric Lagatta, USA Today Network
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Amazon: Strike locations, impact on Christmas shopping