As Amazon workers at several U.S. facilities begin a strike, Canadian shoppers are likely wondering how the job action will impact their deliveries.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, which says it represents about 10,000 Amazon workers, announced strike action at seven facilities south of the border Thursday morning, The Associated Press reported. The AP said the union made the announcement following a Dec. 15 deadline set by the union for contract negotiations. The striking workers are a small portion of the 1.5 million employees at Amazon’s warehouses and corporate offices, according to the AP.
CTVNews.ca reached out to Amazon Canada about the potential impact to Canadians. While many items purchased from Amazon are housed in Canada or shipped from other countries, Amazon was asked whether deliveries of items from U.S. sellers could be delayed.
The company says there is “no impact” to operations, including deliveries, in Canada.
“We appreciate all our team’s great work to serve their customers and communities, and are continuing to focus on getting customers their holiday orders,” Kelly Nantel, a national spokesperson, wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on Thursday.
Nantel accused the Teamsters union of “intentionally” misleading the public by saying it represents “thousands of Amazon employees and drivers” in the U.S.
Nantel said workers employed directly by Amazon are not on strike, and that the affected workers are “almost entirely outsiders.”
“The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labour practice charges against the union,” Nantel wrote.
In emails to CTV News, Amazon representatives denied that there is a strike. Teamsters called it the largest strike against the company in U.S. history, according to the AP. CTVNews.ca has asked Amazon how it would classify the actions, if not a strike.
Additionally, Amazon representatives say the delivery drivers represented by Teamsters are not its employees, because they work for third-party businesses, known as Delivery Service Partners (DSPs). Reuters reported back in September that most of Amazon’s deliveries are done by DSPs, small businesses that employ drivers and set their salaries.
Teamsters describes the striking workers as Amazon workers, saying Amazon should be classified as an employer of these workers because the company controls the duties of the drivers.
Amazon increased compensation to its DSPs in September amid the growing pressure, the company said. Reuters reported at the time that the company said this move was expected to increase the average earnings for drivers employed by DSPs.
The union says strikes are happening at facilities across the U.S., including main picket lines at hundreds of Amazon Fulfillment Centers. Video and images show picketers holding signs with messages including, “Amazon obey the law.”
“The Teamsters will continue to take the fight to Amazon at every facility until the e-commerce giant follows the law and bargains a fair union contract with its workers,” the union posted on X on Thursday morning.
With files from The Associated Press and Reuters