“These greedy executives had every opportunity to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible,” Sean M. O'Brien, Teamsters general president, said in a public statement. “Instead, they pushed workers to their limits and now they are paying the price. This strike is against them.”
This has been a record year for Amazon. According to the company's third-quarter earnings report, profits rose 55 percent from July through September in 2024 compared to the same period last year. In a press release issued along with the earnings report, Amazon president and CEO Andy Jassy said the company was “excited about what we have in store for customers” for the holidays. The report expected fourth-quarter net sales to be between $181.5 billion and $188.5 billion.
“We have not seen any impact on our operations” from the strikes, said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel. “We appreciate all the great work our team is doing to serve their customers and communities, and remain focused on delivering their holiday orders to customers.” Nantel also accused the Teamsters of harassing and intimidating Amazon employees.
At DBK4, located in Queens, New York, hundreds of Amazon workers marched on the sidewalk outside a parking garage exit, sometimes verbally confronting exiting delivery drivers who crossed the picket line. Many vans honked in unison as they waited in line to leave the parking garage. Some protesting workers held signs reading “Amazon obeys the law.” Protesters included people standing in solidarity and carrying signs representing students from the New York State Nurses Association and the City University of New York (CUNY).
Meanwhile, New York Police Department officers stood in the streets, sometimes yelling and shoving workers who stepped off the sidewalk. Just after 9 a.m. ET, the NYPD arrested a delivery driver who attempted to leave his van just outside the parking garage and join the strikers. Around 9:50 a.m., the NYPD announced over the loudspeaker that all workers standing on the road would be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Shortly afterwards, the NYPD placed a Teamsters organizer under arrest, although it is unclear whether they were on the street. Eventually, police set up barricades outside the garage and began personally organizing the delivery trucks with non-striking Amazon workers.
