Amazon workers on strike outside warehouse in Maspeth, Queens
NEW YORK -- Amazon workers are on strike outside a warehouse in Maspeth, Queens, along with other locations around the country.
Teamsters said 10,000 union members planned to form picket lines starting at 6 a.m. Thursday at facilities in New York, California, Georgia and Illinois. The union says it's calling for better wages and working conditions.
Police set up a barricade outside the Queens warehouse, but picketers blocked a row of trucks from leaving. The group appeared to be a mix of Teamsters union members and non-union workers.
Amazon says holiday shipping will not be impacted
While the strike comes less than a week before Christmas, a spokesperson for Amazon insisted operations will not be impacted during the holiday shipping rush. The 10,000 union workers set to strike represent only about 1% of the company's hourly workforce.
Teamsters President Sean O'Brien put out a provocative statement Wednesday, saying in part, "If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon's insatiable greed."
The Amazon 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."
Amazon has filed a lawsuit saying a 2022 vote to unionize was illegal because it was not government sanctioned.
Teamsters responded with another statement, accusing the company of "gaslighting the American public with their false narratives."
Check back soon for the latest updates on this developing story.
