Staten Island Amazon workers join nationwide strike

A warehouse on Staten Island is the latest to join a growing movement of some Amazon workers going on strike.

The Teamsters unionThe Teamsters union is pushing to represent Amazon employees, and says Amazon has refused to bargain with the workers who organized with them.

“Our fight is your fight. Even if you don’t work at Amazon, you’re impacted by Amazon in one way or another,” said Connor Spence, one of the lead organizers outside JFK8, the Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island.

Spence says he was fired by Amazon at JFK8 last year for organizing a walkout, now he represents Amazon Labor Union. He worked for Amazon since 2017, primarily as a packer.

The Staten Island warehouse is Amazon’s biggest facility in the city. By walking out on the job, workers there joined a nationwide strike led by the Teamsters. They’re demanding Amazon negotiate for better pay, benefits and improved working conditions.

Amazon workers at the DBK4 warehouse in Maspeth, Queens started striking Thursday, alongside facilities nationwide in California, New York, Georgia and Illinois.

In 2022, thousands of workers at the JFK8 warehouse voted to be represented by the nascent Amazon Labor Union. Workers then chose to affiliate with the Teamsters this past summer.

The National Labor Relations Board certified that election to unionize, but Amazon has refused to bargain on a contract. In the process, the company has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the labor board.

“This is the key time. If we’re going to put pressure on Amazon, this is the time to do it,” Spence said.

Spence is referring to the increase in package delivery during the holidays, the company’s peak season, with Christmas on Wednesday.

Despite the strike, Amazon trucks are still coming and going at JFK8. One Amazon worker who packs boxes at the facility says he does not support this strike.

“I appreciate the history of unions, I appreciate the history of the Teamsters, right? However, I don’t believe the Teamsters need to be associated with this union,” Patrick Riley, a worker at JFK8, said.

If Amazon won’t negotiate, organizers say they’re prepared to keep going all the way through the holiday season.

“What we’re seeing here is pretty indicative of the fact that people are just really fed up, and they’re ready for a change here,” Spence said.

In response to the pickets, Amazon released a statement saying, in part: “What you see here are almost entirely outsiders — not Amazon employees or partners — and the suggestion otherwise is just another lie from the Teamsters. We appreciate all our team’s great work to serve their customers and communities, and are continuing to focus on getting customers their holiday orders.”

Some Amazon drivers have been honking their horns in solidarity as they depart the warehouse, drawing cheers from the picket line.