Amazon workers in the US, organized with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, joined a global call to action as part of the campaign to “make Amazon pay,” done in conjunction with unions around the world. Amazon teamsters organized multiple actions on the busiest commercial days of the year in the US, “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” following Thanksgiving. Amazon workers in the US were joined by workers in several other countries in targeting Amazon for its exploitation of workers, communities, and the planet.
The Make Amazon Pay campaign is being organized by a vast network of organizations across the globe including Progressive International, UNI Global Union, Amazon Workers International, and 350.org. The campaign is targeting Amazon for “squeezing every last drop it can at every turn” from workers, communities, and the environment.
“While tripling profits in early 2024, Amazon surveils and pressures drivers and warehouse workers at the risk of severe physical and mental harm,” details the campaign, which also calls out the corporation for draining “2 billion US dollars from US communities to build new data centers,” and planning to “deploy 465,000 new, energy-hungry AI servers each year,” which will mostly not be powered via renewable energy.
Amazon Teamsters across the country are taking action this #BlackFriday with Amazon workers around the world to #MakeAmazonPay! Workers are fed up and we are organizing to win the fair pay, safe jobs, and respect that we deserve. Join us! pic.twitter.com/qU2tigBE1N
— Amazon Teamsters (@amazonteamsters) November 29, 2024
In the US, Amazon workers organized with the Teamsters staged actions alongside the global demonstrations. These workers are part of a national campaign on the part of the Teamsters, one of the largest unions in North America which has waged powerful struggles within the logistics industry, to bring unorganized workers at the multinational giant Amazon into the union.
“For decades, Amazon has put profits over the safety and livelihoods of workers who make the company run. Together, we can change that. That’s why Amazon workers across the country are coming together to fight for the safe jobs and fair pay that we deserve,” the Teamsters write regarding their campaign to organize Amazon workers. “Amazon workers are organizing with the 1.3 million member-strong Teamsters Union. By uniting with the hundreds of thousands of other Teamsters in the logistics industry—from UPS to DHL—we can win the fair wages and strong protections we need.”
Amazon drivers at the company’s DGT8 facility in Atlanta, Georgia recently formed a union with the Teamsters, joining hundreds of drivers from Illinois, New York, and California who have also formed unions with the Teamsters. On November 26, these Atlanta Amazon drivers organized a “march on the boss” to demand union recognition.
