*Watch the announcement video here*
(SAN FRANCISCO) – Today, over 100 Amazon workers at the company’s DCK6 warehouse in San Francisco, Calif., formed a union with the Teamsters. The workers demanded union recognition from Amazon with a “March on the Boss” held early this morning. The DCK6 workers represent the first-ever group of Amazon warehouse workers to demand union recognition outside of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election process.
“We here at DCK6 are incredibly proud to be joining the Teamsters and taking Amazon workers’ nationwide union effort to the next level,” said Dori Goldberg, an Amazon DCK6 warehouse worker and Teamster in San Francisco. “This organizing drive isn’t about one worker or one warehouse – this is a ground-up movement to ensure all Amazon workers are treated fairly and with respect. Together, we’re sending a clear message to Amazon that we will not back down. We will continue to fight for what we deserve.”
Amazon workers at DCK6 have been organizing with the Teamsters since last year and are fighting for better pay, safe working conditions, and a voice on the job. Many work part-time and are denied basic benefits.
“Amazon workers at DCK6 handle thousands of packages every day. We are essential to making sure that parents receive their baby formula on time and families get their gifts by the holidays,” said Jocelyn Vargas, an Amazon DCK6 warehouse worker and Teamster in San Francisco. “We need good pay and benefits to take care of our families too. That’s why we formed a union with the Teamsters. We are essential workers, and it’s time Amazon treats us that way.”
Today’s announcement builds on the historic union momentum by Amazon workers across the country who are organizing in droves to improve their lives. Just last week, hundreds of Amazon drivers at the company’s DBK4 facility in Queens, N.Y. formed a union with the Teamsters. Over the summer, Amazon workers at KCVG, the company’s largest air hub in Kentucky, and KSBD, the company’s largest air facility on the West Coast, walked off the job over Amazon’s unfair labor practices. In June, Amazon Labor Union members voted to affiliate with the Teamsters by a near unanimous 98.3 percent in favor.
By joining together, Amazon workers nationwide are forcing critical changes at the e-commerce giant. In response to growing pressure by Amazon workers organizing with the Teamsters, the company recently announced raises for Amazon warehouse workers and Amazon drivers.
As DCK6 workers make historic inroads for Amazon warehouse workers, Amazon drivers continue to build nationwide momentum and pave the way for broader organizing wins. Amazon has long tried to avoid responsibility for its drivers by setting up Delivery Service Partners (DSPs) as their official employer. In August, Amazon drivers in Palmdale, Calif., secured a monumental victory when National Labor Relations Board Region 31 made a determination that Amazon is a joint employer of its drivers, and therefore has a legal duty to recognize and bargain with the Teamsters. This joint employer determination sets a major precedent and is applicable to Amazon drivers who work under similar conditions nationwide. Now Amazon will have to recognize and bargain with the Teamsters at any Amazon DSP in the country where a majority of the workers choose the Teamsters as their bargaining representative. Meanwhile, Amazon Teamsters from Palmdale and Skokie, Ill., are currently on strike and extending their picket lines to facilities across the country.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
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