New York Metropolis law enforcement officials broke up a picket line of Amazon workers making an attempt to dam supply vehicles from leaving an organization facility on Thursday.
Earlier within the day, almost 10,000 Amazon staff in a number of states went on strike, lower than per week earlier than Christmas.
The Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters announced in a information launch it launched its strike at seven Amazon amenities positioned in New York, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Skokie, Illinois.
“In case your bundle is delayed throughout the holidays, you’ll be able to blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a transparent deadline to come back to the desk and do proper by our members. They ignored it,” mentioned Teamsters Basic President Sean M. O’Brien.
At an Amazon facility in Queens, the NYPD broke the picket line, permitting supply vehicles to go away, little question delivering many Christmas items.
“NYPD’s working for Amazon” a union chief shouts as police break up the picket line that was stopping some supply vehicles from leaving.
Cops later put up barricades to stop hanging staff and their allies from blocking vehicles. @Teamsters pic.twitter.com/SWg4qSj5Vg
— Duncan Freeman (@deefreemank) December 19, 2024
“NYPD actually locking arms to guard Amazon’s operations lol,” Alex Press, a labor reporter for Jacobin, wrote.
NYPD actually locking arms to guard Amazon’s operations lol pic.twitter.com/BcKxrkaCoG
— Alex Press (@alexnpress) December 19, 2024
She additionally shared a video of an Amazon truck driver being arrested after he stopped his car in the course of the power entrance drive and tried to affix the strike.
A policeman then received within the truck and drove it away, Press reported.
from what I can inform, the NYPD simply arrested this driver for making an attempt to affix the strike. a cop then received in his car and drove it away pic.twitter.com/EL6eOyasdo
— Alex Press (@alexnpress) December 19, 2024
Democrat New York state Sen. Michael Gianaris posted on social media platform X in response, “NYPD out right here in Queens doing Amazon’s bidding by roughing up and arresting staff who’re standing up for themselves. The [Teamsters] have a proper to strike and our police ought to be defending them, not Jeff Bezos.”
NYPD out right here in Queens doing Amazon’s bidding by roughing up and arresting staff who’re standing up for themselves. The @Teamsters have a proper to strike and our police ought to be defending them, not Jeff Bezos pic.twitter.com/vg6FS0JbIy
— Sen. Mike Gianaris (@SenGianaris) December 19, 2024
Wired reported, “At round 9:50 am, NYPD introduced by way of loudspeaker that any staff who stood within the street could be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Shortly after, the NYPD positioned a Teamsters organizer beneath arrest, although it’s unclear in the event that they have been on the street. Ultimately, police arrange barricades outdoors the storage and started personally organizing the supply vans with non-striking Amazon loss-prevention staff.”
Breaking: After hours of Amazon Teamsters sustaining a powerful picket line, cops broke the picket line for Amazon. pic.twitter.com/tO26JEZGdB
— Luis Feliz Leon (@Lfelizleon) December 19, 2024
Amazon workers are among the many highest-paid retail staff within the nation.
In September, the corporate introduced it was growing its complete compensation bundle for achievement and transportation staff to greater than $29 per hour, a rise of over $3,000 a 12 months for the common full-time worker. That determine included a mean base wage of $22 per hour, plus the price of well being care and different advantages, the corporate mentioned in a news release.
On the scene of the Amazon strike:
The NYPD has now erected barricades to permit Amazon contractors to enter and depart the distribution middle, serving to Amazon break the picket line. pic.twitter.com/NHwKJmovLl
— Hell Gate *subscribe at present!* (@HellGateNY) December 19, 2024
CBS News reported that Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel responded to the strike in an announcement saying, “For greater than a 12 months now, the Teamsters have continued to deliberately mislead the general public — claiming that they signify ‘1000’s of Amazon workers and drivers.’ They don’t, and that is one other try to push a false narrative.”
She added, “The reality is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and tried to coerce Amazon workers and third-party drivers to affix them, which is unlawful and is the topic of a number of pending unfair labor observe prices in opposition to the union.”
This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.