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Teamsters on strike outside Amazon warehouse in NYC

Picket line blocks trucks from leaving Amazon warehouse in Queens
Picket line blocks trucks from leaving Amazon warehouse in Queens 01:47

NEW YORK -- Teamsters are on strike outside the Amazon warehouse in Maspeth, Queens. It comes less than a week before Christmas, but Amazon insists operations will not be impacted. 

Trucks were still rolling from the warehouse late Wednesday night, but the union said 10,000 workers at facilities in New York, California, Illinois and Georgia were set to form a picket line at 6 a.m. Thursday, calling for better wages and working conditions.   

Teamsters President Sean O'Brien put out a provocative statement Wednesday, reading in part, "If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon's insatiable greed."

Amazon says holiday deliveries will not be impacted

Amazon has filed a lawsuit saying a 2022 vote to unionize was illegal because it was not government sanctioned.

A spokesperson accused Teamsters of misleading the public, adding, "The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union."

Teamsters responded with another statement, accusing the company of "gaslighting the American public with their false narratives."

The 10,000 workers expected to strike across the country represent at small percentage of Amazon's 1.5 million person workforce, The Associated Press reports.

Check back soon for the latest updates on this developing story.

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