More than 1,000 members of the Teamsters union and allies turned out Tuesday in downtown Seattle to stand in solidarity with Amazon workers and to denounce the tech titan’s “union-busting tactics and dangerous labor practices.”
In a rally coinciding with this week’s Teamsters Women’s Conference in Seattle, demonstrators gathered outside Amazon’s headquarters in the northwestern city holding signs with messages including “Amazon Hurts Workers,” “Organize Amazon,” and “Stop Union-Busting.”
A tweet by the union explained that its members “are taking action at Amazon HQ, fighting for more workplace protections in the warehouse and logistics industry, and defending workers from the unchecked exploitation of one of the world’s most dangerous employers.”
“It’s time to hold the white-collar crime syndicate known as Amazon accountable,” Teamsters added.
Sean M. O’Brien, general president of the 1.2 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said at the rally that “Amazon should be afraid — the Teamsters are here standing shoulder-to-shoulder with so many communities demanding change.”
Right Now: General President Sean M. O’Brien is rallying more than 1,200 #Teamsters outside of Amazon’s corporate headquarters in Seattle. Teamsters have a message for Bezos and his white-collar crime syndicate called Amazon: we are 1.2 million-strong, and we are coming for you! pic.twitter.com/wEqp3DimJV
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 20, 2022
“The Teamsters aren’t going away. Wherever Amazon abuses workers, we’ll be there,” he added. “Amazon will not bust unions and get away with it. Amazon will not churn and burn American workers and get away with it. This corrupt corporate giant must answer to the Teamsters now, and we’re ready for the fight.”
In a statement, Teamsters said that “Amazon workers across the country have been rising up and demanding better workplace standards, and communities are increasingly demanding Amazon be held accountable for its worker injury rate, contribution to pollution, and most recently, a string of worker deaths at warehouse facilities in New Jersey.”
Earlier this month, the Teamsters launched its Amazon Division to support workers at the e-commerce giant.
Faced with increased worker organizing — including the establishment of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) in New York in April and the first-ever work stoppage at the company’s air freight division in August — Amazon has fired organizers and unsuccessfully petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to overturn the ALU’s victory.
