‘Varney & Co.’ Host Stuart Varney argues that the Teamsters union is deliberately harming ordinary people by striking just before Christmas.
Thousands of Amazon workers organized under the Teamsters union went on strike Thursday at 6 a.m. after the company’s “repeated refusal to respect the law and negotiate.”
Amazon Teamsters at seven facilities in Skokie, Illinois; New York City; Atlanta; San Francisco; and Southern California are participating in the “largest strike” against the billion-dollar company in American history, the union said in a press release. Workers from other facilities are ready to join them.
Although Teamsters says it represents about 10,000 people across 10 Amazon facilities in the United States, the company does not recognize workers’ union affiliation.
Amazon claims the Teamsters union is “intentionally misleading the public” because it does not represent Amazon employees and drivers, company spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement at Fox Business.
AMAZON WORKERS PLAN STRIKE BETWEEN BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY
Amazon workers at seven U.S. factories went on strike Thursday. (WNYW/Fox News)
“For over a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public by claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon workers and drivers.’ This is not the case, and this is another attempt to propagate a false narrative,” Nantel said. . “The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers into joining them, which is illegal and the subject of numerous unfair labor practice accusations against the union. “
Nantel also said the company “does not expect any impact on our operations. »
Amazon workers organized as part of the Teamsters union strike in Skokie, Illinois. (Fox News / Fox News)
Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz responded to Amazon’s statement, saying the company is “gaslighting the American public with its false narratives.”
“The truth is that more than 20 bargaining units, representing nearly 9,000 employees, have successfully unionized because for many years the company has exploited and mistreated workers, and these workers have had enough and are fighting back ” said Deniz.
“No matter how big Amazon’s PR machine is, they can’t fool the American public into believing that drivers delivering Amazon packages in Amazon-branded vans don’t actually work for Amazon,” he said. continued Deniz. “No one believes this nonsense. Amazon must stop avoiding its legal obligations to these workers and come to the negotiating table now.”
Amazon workers in New York are striking Thursday. (WNYW/Fox News)
The strike comes after the Teamsters said Amazon ignored the union’s Dec. 15 deadline to negotiate new contracts that provide higher wages, better benefits and safer working conditions.
“If your package is delayed over 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,” he said. Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in the release. release.
He continued: “These greedy leaders had every opportunity to show decency and respect to the people who enable their obscene profits. Instead, they pushed workers to the edge and now they are paying the price. This strike is against them.”
Amazon Fulfillment Centers Across the country, primary picket lines will be set up by local unions, the Teamsters said, and warehouse workers and drivers without a collective bargaining agreement will be able to legally honor them by withholding their jobs.
“Amazon is one of the largest and richest companies in the world,” said Gabriel Irizarry, a driver with DIL7 in Skokie. “They talk loudly about taking care of their workers, but at the end of the day, Amazon doesn’t respect us or our right to negotiate better working conditions and better wages. We can’t even afford to pay our bills.”
Amazon said team members already receive competitive pay, immediate health benefits, a 401k match and career development opportunities, adding that the company’s average base pay was increased to $22 an hour in September.
Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said Amazon shoppers can blame the company’s “greed” if holiday shopping is affected by the strike. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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In an article published Wednesday evening, the Teamsters said their Amazon workers no longer have patience with the company and are preparing to strike to win the contract they deserve.
“What we’re doing is historic,” said Leah Pensler, a warehouse worker at DCK6 in San Francisco. “We are fighting a vicious anti-union campaign and we will win.”
Pilar Arias of FOX Business contributed to this report.