Standing in near-freezing temperatures outside an Amazon facility in Queens, delivery drivers and Teamsters organizers recently issued a direct challenge to the $2 trillion retail giant: recognize our union.
Amid chants of “Si se puede,” more than 200 drivers at the Woodside warehouse announced on Dec. 9 that they are seeking to join Teamsters Local 804. The move follows a string of unionization efforts across New York City. But these workers face a unique hurdle: they aren’t technically Amazon employees.
The drivers are employed through Amazon’s Delivery Service Provider (DSP) program, a subcontracting model that union critics say allows the company to dodge liability for worker safety and pay. The timing of the rally is no accident. The drive comes just as “peak season” begins, with shipping analytics firm ShipMatrix projecting a 5% increase in Amazon’s package volume this year. “For a company that’s making billions, there’s no excuse why they should be treating us the way they’re treating us,” said Jerome Sloss, a driver at the facility known as DBK1. Sloss joined the drive to protest what he described as unrealistic quotas and vehicles in disrepair. On a Reddit forum, drivers say they face quotas of 20-25 stops per hour. A Business Insider investigation from 2021 found that drivers had 170-350 packages to deliver per shift.
Amazon, however, says that it is not the employer. “The Teamsters have deliberately misled the public by claiming that employees of independently owned delivery businesses are Amazon employees,” said Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards.
Organizing the facility is an uphill battle. Amazon’s annual turnover rate—roughly 150% according to a 2021 story by the NYTimes—makes building long-term union membership difficult. To counter this, the union is focusing on “community-wide” organizing in order to reach potential employees before they’re hired.
“We know the only way to do it is if you organize the community where they’re going to get their workers,” said Joshua Pomeranz, director of operations at Local 804.
Even if the drivers win an election, federal support is uncertain. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is currently hamstrung by vacancies; it requires three members to issue rulings but currently has only one.
“There’s been no way to force them to the bargaining table,” said Joshua Freeman, a history professor at Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center, referencing Amazon. He noted that current laws requiring “good faith” bargaining are fairly weak.
Local relief may come from the City Council. The “Delivery Protection Act,” sponsored by Queens Council member Tiffany Cabán, seeks to ban the subcontracting model and mandate safety training from Amazon. The bill is currently awaiting a vote.
Sloss said that the holiday rush brings a “mixture of fear and excitement,” and now that it’s over, the organizing work continues.
“What’s going to keep this effort moving is being loud with our demands and not being afraid to speak up,” he said.
(Reprinted from NYCITY NewsService)
