LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Less than a week before Christmas Day and the start of Hanukkah, workers across four Amazon delivery facilities in Southern California officially went on strike on Thursday.
The Teamsters union said voted in favor of the strike on Wednesday after the company refused to negotiate contracts or recognize the union. The Teamsters represent Amazon workers in Palmdale, San Bernardino, Victorville and the City of Industry.
Other Teamster unions in Illinois and New York have also voted to authorize strikes.
“The corporate elitists who run Amazon are leaving workers with no choice,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. “Greedy executives are pushing thousands of hardworking Americans to the brink. Amazon rakes in more money than anybody, they subject workers to injury and abuse at every turn, and they illegally claim not to be the rightful employer of nearly half their workforce. This rigged system cannot continue.”
The Teamsters said it gave the company until Dec. 15 to come to the bargaining table.