“These greedy executives had every opportunity to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. said in a public statement. “Instead, they have pushed workers to the limit and now they are paying the price. “This blow is for them.”
This has been a record year for Amazon. According to the company’s third quarter earnings report, profits from July to September increased 55 percent in 2024 compared to the same period last year. in a Press release Released with the earnings report, Amazon Chairman and CEO Andy Jassy said the company was “excited about what we have in store for customers” for the holiday season. the report early Net sales will be between $181.5 billion and $188.5 billion in the fourth quarter.
“We have not seen any impact to our operations” from the attacks, says Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel. “We appreciate the excellent work of our entire team in serving their customers and communities, and we continue to focus on getting customers their holiday orders.” Nantel also accused the Teamsters of harassing and intimidating Amazon employees.
At DBK4, located in Queens, New York, hundreds of Amazon workers marched along the sidewalk outside a parking lot exit, at times verbally confronting delivery drivers as they exited and crossed the picket line. Many delivery vans honked their horns in unison as they waited in line to leave the parking lot. Some protesting workers carried signs that said “Amazon obeys the law.” Among the protesters were people who came out in solidarity, carrying signs representing the New York State Nurses Association and students from the City University of New York (CUNY).
Meanwhile, NYPD officers remained on the street, sometimes yelling and shoving workers coming off the sidewalk. Shortly after 9 a.m. ET, the NYPD arrested a delivery driver who attempted to exit his delivery van just outside the parking lot and join the strikers. Around 9:50 a.m., the NYPD announced over a loudspeaker that any worker standing on the street would be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Shortly afterward, the NYPD arrested a Teamsters organizer, although it is unclear whether they were on the street. Eventually, police set up barricades outside the garage and began personally marshalling delivery vans with non-striking Amazon loss prevention workers.