San Francisco Amazon Warehouse Workers Unite, Join Teamsters

More than a hundred Amazon employees at San Francisco warehouse #DCK6 formed a Union this morning, represented by the Teamsters. Underpaid warehouse workers fed up with unsafe conditions demanded that Amazon recognize the coalition in a “March on the Boss” early today. The worker-led initiative echoes many similar movements happening at many Amazon warehouses in the United States. Remarkably, DCK6 is the first group to pursue Union recognition extraneous to the National Labor Relations Board’s regular election process. 

A year’s hard work pays off

Today’s victory comes after a year of campaigning for better working conditions at the local San Francisco warehouse. 

“We here at DCK6 are incredibly proud to be joining the Teamsters and taking Amazon workers’ nationwide union effort to the next level,” said DCK6 warehouse worker and Teamster Dori Goldberg. “This organizing drive isn’t about one worker or one warehouse—this is a ground-up movement to ensure all Amazon workers are treated fairly and with respect. Together, we’re sending a clear message to Amazon that we will not back down. We will continue to fight for what we deserve.”

Amazon workers, pillars of today’s web-driven commerce

2020 really proved how dependent we became on Amazon deliveries. Pre-COVID, the business crunch was principally felt in brick-and-mortar storefronts and less by the public, which could still shop in-person. Then, the pandemic. Suddenly you couldn’t go anywhere if you wanted to.

Nowadays it seems, for better or for worse, that nearly all business is conducted online. I do not personally see the appeal in buying clothes before trying them on (I don’t want to have to return it, god damnit! I want to buy the right one the first time!). One thing hasn’t changed. There’s still a person, several in fact, behind the transaction. 

“Amazon workers at DCK6 handle thousands of packages every day. We are essential to making sure that parents receive their baby formula on time and families get their gifts by the holidays,” said DCK6 worker and Teamster Jocelyn Vargas. “We need good pay and benefits to take care of our families too. That’s why we formed a union with the Teamsters. We are essential workers, and it’s time Amazon treats us that way.”

A changing tide?

The fight over labor protections at these warehouses has finally reached its boiling point. San Francisco warehouse #DCK6 joins a larger, historic Unionization effort. Last week, NYC-Queens warehouse #DBK4 also founded a Union with the Teamsters. This summer saw revolutionary wins at company warehouses across the country. Workers at #KCGV, Amazon’s largest air hub based in Kentucky, and #KSBD, their largest West Coast air facility, walked off the job due to Amazon’s refusal to budge.

In June, Amazon Labor Union members voted for Teamster representation with 98.3% in favor.

The Teamsters are also fighting to protect highly vulnerable delivery drivers. According to a press release, Amazon has long tried to avoid responsibility for its drivers by setting up Delivery Service Partners (DSPs) as their official employer. Palmdale, California’s Amazon drivers won a key victory when National Labor Relations Board Region 31 ruled Amazon as the joint employer of its delivery drivers. The recognition, secured in August, cites Amazon’s legal responsibility to officially recognize and negotiate with the Teamsters. 

In the meantime, Amazon Teamsters from Palmdale and Skokie, Illinois, are currently on strike and extending their picket lines to facilities nationwide.