SKOKIE, Ill. (WLS) — In the heart of the busy holiday season, workers at several Amazon facilities are on strike Thursday morning. One of those facilities is in Skokie.
The teamsters union is calling it one of the biggest strikes against Amazon in U.S. history.
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Workers in Skokie will be joining other amazon employees across the country in California and New York to put pressure on the company to reach a labor agreement. All of this taking place just days before Christmas.
The unions said it gave Amazon a December 15 deadline to come to the bargaining table and negotiate a contract with better pay and working conditions.
“It’s important because as workers, we need our voices heard,” Teamsters Union member Ash Brooks said. “This has been a long time coming and we need to show Jeff Bezos and the entire Amazon corporation and the rest of the world that our voices matter.”
The union said they represent nearly 10,000 Amazon workers, which accounts for less than 1 percent of the company’s workforce.
Amazon said they don’t expect an impact to operations.
The company said in a statement, “The Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers. They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative.”
The past 6 years, Amazon said it has boosted its starting minimum wage for fulfillment and transportation employees by 20 percent.
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