Amazon warehouse workers across the United States are on strike ahead of the holiday rush

“These greedy executives have had every chance to show decency and respect to the people who make their obscene profits possible” – Teamsters CEO Sean M. O’Brien – he said in a public statement. “Instead, they pushed workers to their limits and now they are paying the price. This strike is on them.”

It was a record year for Amazon. According to the company’s report on the results for the third quarter, the profit for the period from July to September increased by 55 percent in 2024 compared to the same period last year. In press release released alongside the earnings report, Amazon president and CEO Andy Jassy said the company is “excited about what we have in store for customers” for the holiday season. Report expected fourth-quarter net sales will be between $181.5 billion and $188.5 billion.

“We have not seen any impact from the strikes on our business,” says Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel. “We appreciate the great work our entire team does in serving customers and the community, and we remain focused on keeping customers happy with their holiday orders.” Nantel also accused the Teamsters of harassing and intimidating Amazon employees.

At DBK4, located in Queens, Up-to-date York, hundreds of Amazon workers marched on the sidewalk before exiting to the parking lot, at times verbally confronting exiting delivery drivers who crossed the picket line. Many delivery trucks honked their horns in unison as they waited in line to pull out of the garage. Some protesting workers held signs saying “Amazon obeys the law.” The march included people who came out in solidarity, carrying signs representing the Up-to-date York State Nurses Association and City University of Up-to-date York (CUNY) students.

Meanwhile, Up-to-date York Police Department officers stood in the street, sometimes shouting and pushing employees as they stepped off the sidewalk. Just after 9 a.m. EST, Up-to-date York police arrested a delivery driver who was trying to get out of his van just outside the parking lot and join the strikers. At approximately 9:50 a.m., the Up-to-date York Police Department announced over the loudspeaker that any employees found in the way would be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Shortly thereafter, the NYPD arrested a Teamsters organizer, although it is unclear whether he was on the street. Eventually, police set up barricades outside the garage and began personally organizing delivery trucks with non-striking Amazon loss prevention workers.