Cyber Monday 2023:

Amazon Workers Flex Worker Power

Workers from dozens of Amazon facilities stood together this Cyber Monday 2023, pushing back against low pay and unsafe working conditions. From petitions and marches to rallies and strikes, worker power echoed across the nation, demanding an end to Amazon’s exploitation that prioritizes profits over our well-being.

Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year, saw Amazon's revenue soar. But here's the kicker – while the company rakes in the cash, we bear the brunt with exploding workloads, all for the same low wages.

Here at KSBD, Inland Empire Amazon Workers United supporters proudly wore stickers demanding a $25 starting wage. Hundreds of our co-workers wore these stickers! We're not just asking; we're demanding fair pay because we're worth every cent.

Our friends at SWF1 in New York’s Hudson Valley made history with their first public action – a rally and practice picket joined by community and labor supporters. Keith Williams, a worker from SWF1, boldly declared, “We are fed up with Amazon putting its packages ahead of our safety. Today, we rally and picket to show Amazon that we are the ones who make this company valuable, and we deserve respect.”

Nearby, Amazon delivery drivers from DAX8 in Palmdale, members of Teamsters Local 396, extended their five-month strike to ONT1 in Mira Loma and DLX5 in Los Angeles. Their picket line reached a third warehouse, RDU1 in Garner, North Carolina, where our friends from Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE) have been fighting to raise standards and succeeding for years.

These same Amazon Teamsters took their fight global, traveling to the United Kingdom to join Amazon workers from Europe for an international day of action on Black Friday. They also supported a strike and union organizing drive at Amazon’s Coventry warehouse, where hundreds walked off the job.

Over at South Jersey's ACY1, workers also walked out in a powerful display of solidarity, supporting a $25 per hour base pay demand!

In Pontiac, MI, at DDT6, our fellow Amazonians took action to protect their safety. They informed co-workers about their right to stop the conveyor belt when packages backed up and marched through the warehouse on Cyber Monday, demanding change.

Alicia Ozier, a warehouse worker at DDT6 in Pontiac, MI, spoke truth to power, saying, “Amazon claims it cares about our safety, but when the packages need to go out, our well-being is quickly forgotten. We're stopping the line when the packages back up, demanding help with oversized packages, and using our worker power to keep ourselves safe.”

STL8 workers also showcased their unity, wearing buttons inside the facility, drawing attention to Amazon’s substandard wages and high injury rates.

In Buford, GA, DGE9 workers delivered a petition to management, demanding better working conditions and pay that reflects our hard work.

Workers in Queens, NY, at DBK4 delivered powerful speeches throughout their building and created “wanted posters” listing abusive managers. They stood firm, letting coworkers know they didn't need to be intimidated and they have the right to a trusted coworker present during interrogations.

These are only some of the powerful actions that took place on this historic day. Amazon’s corporate tech workers, organizing as Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, took the opportunity to spread the word on these actions by leafleting to co-workers outside of the corporation’s Seattle, WA HQ. One worker testified: “Warehouse associates are the heart and soul of Amazon's logistics network and package delivery. They deserve the best treatment and support for everything they do for Amazon.”

This energy is electric! By standing together, we hold the power to reshape this company and secure better standards — higher pay and safer jobs.