Amazon faces strike threat in US ahead of Christmas

“Amazon must be accountable to both its workers and consumers. If workers are forced to picket, Amazon will go on strike itself,” he added.

The union said it represents thousands of workers at 10 Amazon facilities in the United States.

However, Amazon spokeswoman Eileen Hards said the union “continues to intentionally mislead the public by claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.’ This is wrong.

“The drivers actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to force Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal,” she added.

Earlier this week congressional investigation concluded that the e-commerce giant forces its US warehouse workers to fulfill orders at a rate that could lead to high injury rates.

The investigation, led by Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders, also said the company refused to make changes to improve safety due to concerns about its profits.

Amazon said the report was “factually incorrect” and contained “selective, outdated information that lacks context and is not based on reality.”

The company, which employs about 800,000 people in the United States, has faced allegations of unsafe conditions in its warehouses for years.

These concerns have intensified during the Covid pandemic as e-commerce has exploded, leading to protests by its workers around the world.

Amid the controversy, founder Jeff Bezos said the company needs to improve the performance of its employees.

Senator Sanders, known for his pro-worker stance, launched an investigation into Amazon’s actions in June 2023. Senate staff conducted 135 interviews and reviewed more than 1,000 documents.

An analysis of publicly available data found that Amazon warehouses experienced 30% more injuries in 2023 than the warehouse industry average.