Athira Sethu
Kochi, 20 December 2024
Workers from seven Amazon locations in the US have been on strike since Thursday during the peak holiday shopping season. The cities involved included New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco, among others. According to news reports, this is the biggest protest among workers of Amazon. Nevertheless, the company said that it does not expect much disruption in its operations as a result of the strike.
Amazon is the second largest private employer in the world, next to Walmart. The company has often been criticized by unions that argue it is pushing its workers too hard to achieve delivery goals, which lead to injuries. The company, however, argues that it pays good wages and makes work easier with technology.
The striking workers want Amazon to pay attention to their grievances about work pressure that, according to them, adversely affects their health. In contrast to the protest, only a small number of Amazon’s employees are involved. Amazon employs more than 800,000 workers at over 600 locations in the U.S.
Earlier this year, Amazon increased wages for employees, bringing the pay to nearly $22 per hour. It also invested $2.1 billion to improve conditions for fulfillment and transportation workers. Yet, the union wanted to start negotiations by December 15, but Amazon didn’t respond.
Other industries, such as automotive and aerospace, recently won better pay and benefits, and unions are looking to force change at Amazon and other companies.
