On the Line with Amazon Workers

Being on the picket line for a few days with striking Amazon drivers just before Christmas was a positive experience. I was very proud as a member and elected officer of the National Writers Union to be on that line in solidarity with workers on strike. I saw the mostly young people on the picket line care for each other. They showed care and concern for drivers that had not yet joined the picket for any one of a number of personal reasons. Every single driver that was not out on strike, of the many I heard, agreed that the conditions of work were terrible and the strike was needed to show support for a union to represent the drivers and other workers at Amazon.

The drivers still driving stopped their vans, respecting the circle formed by strikers on the picket line before proceeding to their daily delivery routes, and talked to fellow drivers that were out on the line. Drivers shared information about how they were getting along inside the warehouse where the trucks are loaded and spoke about how their routes were being affected. Some drivers, responding to request by those on strike, dropped their routes; in fact, one of the slogans on the line was “Help us out, drop your route”. Other drivers, through their van windows, signed union support cards. A simple wave and a smile between striker and non-striker conveyed the shared understanding of the sacrifice strikers were making to better the horrible conditions they all face every day while on the job at this multinational colossal corporation.

The strike was a pressure tactic in the Teamster Union strategy to organize the drivers and workers at the different Amazon warehouse distribution centers across the country. Currently there is only one unionized local in New York. Choosing the holiday season as a moment to pressure the company was important because of the increased deliveries at this time of the year. On Christmas Eve, the action was called off and workers returned to work. Amazon, now quite worried, will now weigh their options as the Teamsters talk with the workers to see what further actions will be taken to gain a union contract for these workers. Strikes and job actions are disliked by workers and company owners alike, but they are the unfortunate result of greedy companies unwilling to improve the working conditions and wages of their employees who show up and do their jobs every day, trying to support their families to live decent, happy lives. Under the current system, greedy owners refuse to share the wealth created by these workers.

Going forward, Ryan Brown, President of Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity & Empowerment (CAUSE), based out of the Raleigh-Durham warehouse (RDU1), announced they have just filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board requesting an election to become the first unionized Amazon fulfillment center in the South, and only the second in the United States! In a donation request Ryan Brown wrote, “Nothing about this process has been easy. We’ve watched how Amazon treated worker-organizers in Bessemer, AL and our comrades at Amazon Labor Union. We’ve been learning lessons. And we’re ready to win.”

Their victory will depend, as do all successful worker actions, first on unity among the workers at Amazon and second on the unity in the form of solidarity shown by all other workers in other unions and in our communities. That’s how we win, so when they are out on a picket line, call on your fellow union members and friends to join them!

This post was written by Southern California member and chapter chair, Ismael Parra.

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