Drivers at DGT8 in Atlanta Join Union
Organizing Wave with Teamsters Nationwide
ATLANTA, Nov. 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Amazon drivers at the company's
DGT8 facility in Atlanta have
formed a union with the Teamsters and demanded union recognition
with a "March on the Boss" held early this morning. The
Atlanta drivers are building on
what is a massive organizing wave within Amazon, joining hundreds
of drivers from Illinois,
New York, and California in forming a union with the
Teamsters to take on the e-commerce giant.
Today's announcement comes as Amazon associates brace for the
holiday peak season and workers are pushed to their limits to meet
skyrocketing demand. The drivers from DGT8 are fighting for better
pay, safe working conditions, and a voice on the job. Many workers
are denied basic benefits.
"Amazon workers deserve so much more from a company that makes
billions of dollars in profits every year," said Trent Knight, an Amazon Teamster at DGT8. "Many
of us can barely afford to pay our bills and make rent each month,
yet we're the reason Amazon is one of the most profitable companies
in the world. With this union, we're taking a step to finally get
the pay, benefits, and respect we deserve."
The organizing wave unfolding at Amazon is unprecedented as
Amazon workers across five facilities coast-to-coast have joined
the Teamsters in recent months. Since September, warehouse workers
in San Francisco and delivery
drivers in Queens, Victorville,
and City of Industry have all formed unions with the Teamsters and
demanded recognition. Meanwhile, workers at the company's largest
air hubs in Kentucky and
California have walked off the job
in protest of the company's unfair labor practices. In June, Amazon
Labor Union members at JFK8 in Staten
Island voted to affiliate with the Teamsters by a near
unanimous 98.3 percent in favor. The growing momentum is inspiring
more Amazon workers to join the thousands already part of the
union.
"Amazon cannot continue to get away with paying us poverty wages
while they earn more in profits year after year," said Aaron Nipper, an Amazon Teamster at DGT8. "We're
tired of the disrespect and not being able to afford basic living
expenses to keep a roof over our heads and feed our families.
Enough is enough — we're proud to join the Amazon Teamsters and
we're going to fight for what we deserve."
Amazon wields absolute control over the terms and conditions of
employment for its delivery drivers through its Delivery Service
Partner (DSP) program, yet the company has argued that it does not
employ the workers. In August, Amazon drivers in Palmdale, Calif., secured a monumental victory
when National Labor Relations Board Region 31 made a
determination that Amazon is a joint employer of its drivers, and
therefore has a legal duty to recognize and bargain with the
Teamsters. This joint employer determination sets a major precedent
and is applicable to Amazon drivers who work under similar
conditions nationwide, including the Atlanta DGT8 drivers.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto
Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on
Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at
Facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact:
Zoe
PiSierra
zoe.pisierra@berlinrosen.com
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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
