Hundreds of Amazon drivers in New York City have joined the Teamsters union in the hope of obtaining better pay and working conditions, with a majority of drivers at three delivery service partners working out of a Queens warehouse signing authorization cards. Organizing for a year, the drivers seek fair pay, consistent schedules, reasonable workloads, and properly maintained trucks, walking off the job last December to protest Amazon’s alleged unfair labor practices and union-busting efforts. Joining the union theoretically gives the drivers more leverage in negotiations with Amazon, but the company’s history of resistance is evident as the Amazon Labor Union in the US has yet to secure a union contract. Despite the challenges, the union has had some victories on behalf of Amazon workers, with a recent determination that Amazon is a joint employer of some third-party drivers setting a precedent for DSP drivers elsewhere. The Queens drivers are the first Amazon workers to organize with the Teamsters following that decision.
