Amazon workers in the US could go on strike before Christmas, after members of the Teamsters union voted to take industrial action.
Workers say the online retail giant refused to recognize their union and ignored a Dec. 15 deadline to negotiate their contract.
Amazon facilities in Southern California, New York and Illinois could be affected, according to a Teamsters statement.
“The elitist corporations that run Amazon are giving workers no choice,” said Teamsters General President Sean M O’Brien.
“Amazon must be held accountable to workers and consumers. If workers are forced onto the picket line, Amazon will go on strike,” he added.
The union said it represents thousands of workers at 10 Amazon facilities in the United States.
But an Amazon spokeswoman, Eileen Hards, said the union “continued to intentionally mislead the public, claiming it represents 'thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.'” 'is not the case.'
“The Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers into joining them, which is illegal,” she added.
Earlier this week, a Congressional investigation concluded that the e-commerce giant was pushing its U.S. warehouse workers to fulfill orders at speeds that could lead to high injury rates.
The investigation led by Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders also found that the company refused to introduce changes aimed at improving safety because of concerns about its profits.
Amazon said the report was “factually incorrect” and contained “selective and outdated information that lacks context and is not based in reality.”
The company, which employs about 800,000 people in the United States, has been accused for years of unsafe conditions in its warehouses.
These concerns intensified during the Covid pandemic, when e-commerce boomed, leading to protests from its workers around the world.
Amid the controversy, founder Jeff Bezos said the company needed to do better by its employees.
Senator Sanders, known for his pro-worker stances, launched an investigation into Amazon's practices in June 2023. Senate members conducted 135 interviews and reviewed more than 1,000 documents.
Their analysis of public records found that Amazon-operated warehouses experienced more than 30% more injuries than the warehousing industry average in 2023.
