Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Thousands of Amazon workers ended their strike, but tensions with the Teamsters remain.
- The union, representing less than 1% of Amazon's workforce, demands better wages and conditions.
- Amazon disputes the union's claims, labeling the protest a "PR play" and illegal.
WASHINGTON — Thousands of Amazon workers have ended their days-long strike against the company, according to the Teamsters union. But tensions persist, with the union saying its efforts aren't over.
"Make no mistake the Teamsters will never let up and workers will never stop fighting for their rights at Amazon," a union representative said in a statement. "Stay tuned."
Thousands of Amazon delivery drivers across a handful of states went on strike late last week in the thick of the holiday package season. The Teamsters said the strike affected at least 200 facilities nationwide, ending on Christmas Eve.
The union claims to represent 7,000 Amazon workers nationwide, or less than 1% of the company's U.S. workforce. Amazon is the nation's second-largest private employer, with a headcount of 740,000 workers across 1,000 warehouses and distribution centers.
The protesting workers demanded higher wages and better benefits, pointing to the online shopping behemoth's massive profits in recent years. Amazon posted solid profit growth in the third quarter, in part driven by strong e-commerce sales.
Striking workers have also complained of tough working conditions.
"The pay needs to be better. The health insurance needs to be better," Thomas Hickman, 34, a delivery driver for Amazon in Georgia, told CNN previously. "We need better working conditions. If we have 400-plus packages, we need someone to be a helper with us, to ride with us."
But Amazon has refused to play ball, according to the union.
Amazon does not consider its drivers to be employees, even though they wear an Amazon-branded uniform, drive the company's trucks and deliver only products bought on Amazon. Rather, the company refers to them as "Delivery Service Partners," workers contracted through independent third-party companies.
"There are a lot of nuances here but I want to be clear, the Teamsters don't represent any Amazon employees despite their claims to the contrary," Kelly Nantel, a spokesperson for Amazon, told CNN in a statement previously. "This entire narrative is a PR play and the Teamsters' conduct this past year, and this week, is illegal."
Still, the Teamsters said the latest protest made sure its "message was heard loud and clear."
