Teamsters vote to support Amazon workers

Charisse Jones, USA TODAY
·1 min read

The Teamers voted Thursday to make backing Amazon employees a key focus of their international union.

Members approved a resolution that makes protecting and supporting Amazon workers a top priority for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which will also form a special division dedicated to that goal.

“Amazon workers face dehumanizing, unsafe and low-pay jobs, with high turnover and no voice at work,'' Randy Korgan, the Teamsters national director for Amazon, said in a statement announcing the vote's outcome. "Amazon workers are calling for safer and better working conditions and with today’s resolution we are activating the full force of our union to support them.”

Amazon's labor practices have drawn particular scrutiny in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when some advocates, workers and and lawmakers said Amazon employees were overworked and denied sufficient wages and protections to safeguard their health.

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama voted in April on whether to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, but the proposal was overwhelmingly rejected.

That result was praised by Amazon and some business groups, but labor advocates said the Bessemer vote illustrated the pressures put on workers to discourage them from joining a union.

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Follow Charisse Jones on Twitter @charissejones

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teamsters say protection of Amazon workers is a key focus

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