Amazon Delivery Drivers on Strike

Last time it was the U.S. dockworkers on a 3-day strike for better wages; today it is thousands of Amazon delivery drivers demanding better working conditions, pay, and recognition as company employees. However, despite wearing Amazon vests and driving Amazon vans, many drivers are classified as independent contractors through third-party companies called “Delivery Service Partners” and not direct Amazon employees.

According to CNN, this has been a contentious debate over the employer-employee relationship, particularly in legal battles about whether Amazon should be considered the drivers’ employer, thus responsible for providing better wages and benefits.

Teamsters union members went on strike in several states, including New York, Illinois, Georgia, and California. The workers have cited long hours, excessive workloads, and insufficient support. Amazon claims the strike won’t impact holiday deliveries. However, Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said, “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed.”

Ash’shura Brooks, 29, from Illinois, stressed the need for better safety measures and work conditions. “You either sacrifice your safety to get things done faster, or you sacrifice your job,” she said.

With Amazon’s soaring profits, drivers believe the company has the resources to improve conditions. Trenton Knight, a delivery driver in Georgia who has been working for Amazon for five months, said that he is striking for improved wages and benefits and for drivers like him to be acknowledged as Amazon employees. “If we weren’t their workers, we wouldn’t be driving their trucks, we wouldn’t be wearing their gear, we wouldn’t be delivering their packages,” Knight said.