Hundreds of Amazon delivery drivers in Queens, New York, joined the Teamsters union in an attempt to get better pay and scheduling; NLRB rules Amazon must bargain as a joint employer.
TakeAway Points:
- In Queens, New York, hundreds of Amazon delivery drivers unionised with the Teamsters in an effort to improve their working conditions and schedules.
- Amazon may be required to engage in collective bargaining with unionised subcontracted workers as NLRB rulings classify the company as a “joint employer.”
- Amazon announced a $2.1 billion investment in its contract delivery programme, including wage hikes, in response to labour demand.
- Meanwhile, TikTok and parent company ByteDance face a key court hearing on Monday in a legal battle seeking to block a law that could ban the app used by 170 million Americans as soon as Jan. 19.
Amazon Drivers Join Teamsters
Hundreds of Amazon delivery drivers at the DBK4 facility in Queens, New York, have joined the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, marking a significant development in labor organizing within Amazon’s logistics network. The drivers, who work for three contracted delivery firms, signed authorization cards to join the union and approached Amazon on Monday to recognize the union and begin negotiations. The drivers are seeking consistent schedules, properly maintained delivery trucks, and reasonable workloads. This move is part of a broader trend of increasing labor pressure among Amazon’s delivery workers, who have been calling for higher wages and safety improvements.
NLRB’s Joint Employer Ruling
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been examining Amazon’s delivery service partner program and has issued two determinations since August, finding that Amazon should be deemed a “joint employer” of employees at two subcontracted delivery companies. This determination could compel Amazon to bargain with employees seeking to unionize. Sean O’Brien, general president of the Teamsters, stated, “The NLRB made clear that Amazon has a legal obligation to bargain with its drivers and meet them at the negotiating table to improve wages, working conditions, safety standards, and everything in between.”
Amazon’s Reaction and Investment
In response to the growing labor pressure, Amazon announced last week that it would invest $2.1 billion into its contract delivery program, which includes hiking wages for contracted delivery workers. Amazon delivers the bulk of its packages using a network of bespoke contract firms, known as delivery service partners (DSPs), which operate out of Amazon warehouses, lease Amazon-branded vans, and follow the company’s direction for package routing and some personnel considerations. Despite these efforts, the Teamsters and other labor unions have continued to push for organizing Amazon’s warehouse and delivery workers.
TikTok faced crucial court hearing that could decide its stay in US
Meanwhile, TikTok and parent company ByteDance face a key court hearing on Monday in a legal battle seeking to block a law that could ban the app used by 170 million Americans as soon as Jan. 19.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hold oral arguments on the legal challenge, putting the fate of Chinese-owned TikTok in the middle of the final weeks of the 2024 presidential election.
Both Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are active on TikTok seeking to court younger voters.
TikTok and ByteDance argue the law is unconstitutional and violates Americans’ free speech rights saying it is “a radical departure from this country’s tradition of championing an open Internet.”
Driven by worries among U.S. lawmakers that China could access data on Americans or spy on them with the app, the measure was passed overwhelmingly in the U.S. Congress in April, just weeks after being introduced.
ByteDance has said a divestiture is “not possible technologically, commercially, or legally” and without a court ruling will lead to an unprecedented ban on Jan. 19. Circuit Judges Sri Srinivasan, Neomi Rao, and Douglas Ginsburg will consider the legal challenges brought by TikTok and users.
