Amazon and Starbucks workers strike across U.S. over labor contract disputes
Workers at Amazon and Starbucks are striking in cities across the U.S., demanding union recognition and better wages, benefits, and working conditions. The strikes come during the critical holiday season, putting pressure on the companies amid ongoing labor tensions, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The Teamsters union began strikes Thursday at seven Amazon delivery hubs in Southern California, San Francisco, New York City, Atlanta, and Skokie, Illinois. Workers are demanding higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions. The union had set a December 15 deadline for Amazon to begin contract negotiations, which the company ignored. In addition, a major New York City warehouse that unionized under the Amazon Labor Union in 2022 is now affiliated with the Teamsters and has joined the strikes.
“Fed up with low wages, disrespect, and illegal union busting, Amazon workers from California to New York, Illinois, Georgia, and beyond have demanded Teamsters recognition and union protections. Despite an historic organizing wave over the past two years, Amazon has continuously failed to meet its legal obligations to bargain with thousands of drivers and workers inside warehouses and fulfillment centers over its industry-worst working conditions,” said Teamsters in a press-release.
Amazon has rejected the union’s demands, arguing that most striking drivers are not direct employees but contractors hired by delivery service partners. The company has also contested the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) classification of these workers as joint employees. While the NLRB supports the union’s stance, Amazon insists its workers already receive competitive pay averaging $22 per hour, along with benefits.
At Starbucks, strikes began Friday in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle, with additional locations joining in Denver, Pittsburgh, and Columbus. Workers United accuses the company of failing to deliver on a February promise to negotiate a contract by the end of the year. The union is demanding a $20 per hour base wage for baristas, a $25.40 minimum for supervisors, annual raises, and expanded healthcare and retirement benefits.
Starbucks, which has faced over 500 unionized store campaigns since 2021, argues that Workers United walked away from recent bargaining sessions despite progress on economic issues. The company claims its current pay and benefits package, which averages $18 per hour and includes healthcare and tuition assistance, is already generous and that union demands would lead to unsustainable cost increases.
As of now, the strikes have affected dozens of Starbucks stores nationwide and key Amazon delivery hubs, with more locations expected to join in the coming days. Labor groups emphasize that the strikes are a necessary step to hold powerful corporations accountable and ensure better conditions for workers.
Earlier it was reported that Kazakhstan was eyeing to sign a deal with the satellite-based internet service Amazon Kuiper, similar to SpaceX's Starlink, according to the country’s Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Minister Zhaslan Madiyev.
