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Christmas rush is here for most shopping and commerce platforms, and thousands of Amazon warehouse workers across multiple US states have gone on strike. The industrial action, which began on December 19, is part of a long-standing dispute between Amazon, the e-commerce giant, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a prominent labor union.

The strike, which is described as the “largest-ever against Amazon”, involves workers from seven Amazon facilities across major cities in the US, including New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, and locations in Southern California. The Teamsters claim to represent around 10,000 Amazon workers at 10 facilities, while Amazon disputes this figure and asserts that the union’s membership accounts for less than one percent of its workforce in the country. For now, the impact of the strike on Amazon’s network remains unknown (the network employs over 800,000 workers across the US), although Amazon is claiming that holiday deliveries will proceed as planned, owing to the company’s existing network of facilities and collaboration with third-party carriers such as UPS, amongst other factors.

In addition to this, the e-commerce major has rejected the union’s claims, accusing the Teamsters of misleading the public and using coercive tactics to gain support. Kelly Nantel, a spokesperson for the company, claimed that this is “another attempt” by the union to “push a false narrative,” and alleged that Teamsters has engaged in illegal practices, including threatening and intimidating Amazon’s workers.

According to union representatives, the strike was launched after Amazon ignored a prior deadline (on December 15) to negotiate new contracts, which had sought to address demands for higher wages, improved benefits, and enhanced workplace safety measures, amongst others. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien accused the company of placing profits over the well-being of its workers.

“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,” O’Brien said in an official statement. “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.”

So far, the striking workers have highlighted concerns about unsafe working conditions and demanding performance targets. Employees report being pushed to their physical limits, with some citing examples of being required to deliver as many as 300 packages daily. These quotas, they argue, contribute to a high incidence of workplace injuries. “I’ve seen the Teamsters win big battles,” Teamster’s official statement quoted Dia Ortiz, an Amazon worker in New York. “We’re ready to do what it takes to win this one.” Amazon is also accused of resisting unionization efforts, even though it announced wage increases and investments to improve working conditions in recent years.

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