TEAMSTERS, MAYOR BREED, AND CALIFORNIA LEADERS RALLY TO DEMAND AMAZON RECOGNIZE UNION
October 4, 2024
PDCK6 Workers Are First-Ever Amazon Warehouse Workers to Demand Recognition Outside of NLRB Election Process
(SAN FRANCISCO) – Amazon Teamsters at the company’s DCK6 warehouse in San Francisco were joined by San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Board Supervisor Shamann Walton at a rally and press conference yesterday to demand Amazon recognize the workers’ newly formed union. At the event, the DCK6 workers held signs that read “Support Amazon Teamsters” and “People Over Packages.” Video from yesterday’s press conference and rally can be found here.
“California Teamsters know what it means to go up against some of the country’s biggest tech giants, stand our ground, and win–and it’s no different for Amazon workers at DCK6,” said Peter Finn, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and President of Teamsters Joint Council 7. “The truth is that this is a losing battle for Amazon. Despite the millions of dollars Amazon is funneling into union busting, when thousands of workers start coming together across all corners of the country to demand a voice and a fair paycheck, Goliath doesn’t stand a chance.”
Yesterday’s action comes just one day after DCK6 workers formed a union with the Teamsters and marched on Amazon management to demand union recognition. 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.
“I’m proud to stand in San Francisco with this group of newly organized Amazon Teamsters who want nothing more than to be treated with fairness and respect,” said Breed. “These workers do backbreaking work yet are struggling to get by while Amazon executives take home millions. The good news is that they now have the full weight of the Teamsters behind them, and we know they have the tenacity needed to take on Amazon. It’s time they are given what they are owed.”
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.
“Forming a union is no easy task, especially in the face of a company as greedy and anti-worker as Amazon, but we’ve organized successfully with the Teamsters and built incredible worker power at DCK6. It’s time Amazon recognizes that,” said Josh Black, an Amazon warehouse worker at DCK6.
“All of us at DCK6 are grateful for the support of Mayor London Breed and Board Supervisor Shamann Walton, along with all of the elected leaders, labor allies, family, and friends who have supported our journey in forming a union. We’re proud to be a part of this nationwide organizing drive and to hold Amazon to account with our Teamsters siblings.”
Yesterday’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. Just this week, Amazon drivers in Palmdale, Calif. secured a monumental victory when NLRB Region 31 issued a formal complaint against Amazon, reaffirming that the company is a joint employer of its drivers and 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.
“Despite Amazon pulling every anti-union tactic out of its back pocket to try and slow our organizing momentum, the reality is that our union drive is only speeding up. Amazon is running out of options,” said Jocelyn Vargas, an Amazon warehouse worker at DCK6. “For too long, we’ve put up with rampant disrespect on the job, dangerous working conditions, and unlivable wages, all while we help push out tens of thousands of packages to Amazon customers every single day. We formed a union because the system is broken, and we need a voice on the job to fix it.”
