Amazon fires 150 unionized third-party drivers, Teamsters says | Amazon

Amazon has fired greater than 150 unionized drivers working for a third-party contractor in Queens, New York, based on the Teamsters union.Employees rallied on the firm’s DBK4 facility in Queens on Monday after the corporate fired the drivers, who labored for Cornucopia, a supply service supplier (DSP) that Amazon contracted with to make deliveries. Amazon works with greater than 3,000 DSPs around the globe who ship the corporate’s packages.The Teamsters mentioned the firings have been in retaliation for unionizing.“Amazon is breaking the legislation and we let the general public realize it,” mentioned Antonio Rosario, a member of native 804 and a Teamster organizer, in an announcement. “Amazon staff will proceed to prepare and battle for what they deserve.”Amazon has lengthy claimed that drivers who’re employed by third-party contractors should not workers of the corporate, and that firing a contractor doesn’t quantity to retaliation for unionizing.In an announcement, an Amazon spokesperson, Eileen Hards, referred to as the transfer “a latest change we made that’s designed to permit DSPs to be extra hands-on with their groups and help their operations at one supply station”.“Our aim is to supply prospects with quick supply and nice service – and we usually overview and make modifications to the DSP program in help of this,” Hards mentioned.Final August, a Nationwide Labor Relations Board official in Los Angeles dominated that Amazon had engaged in unfair labor practices after it terminated its contract with Battle-Examined Methods (BTS), one other DSP based mostly in Palmdale, California, whose drivers had unionized with the Teamsters.Though the NLRB mentioned that Amazon’s motion didn’t quantity to retaliation, the official mentioned Amazon and BTS “unlawfully failed and refused to discount with the union over results of the choice to terminate the BTS contract”.In its ruling, the NLRB deemed Amazon a joint employer of the drivers. Amazon has appealed in opposition to the ruling.Within the weeks main as much as Christmas, the Teamsters organized a strike amongst Amazon warehouse staff throughout eight services over what the corporate says have been stalled contract negotiations for higher pay and dealing situations.Final September, Amazon joined firms together with SpaceX that argued the construction of the NLRB is unconstitutional as a result of its board members can’t be eliminated by the president. Although a ruling on the case has not been issued, the supreme courtroom stayed Donald Trump’s firing of Gwynne Wilcox, a member of the NLRB, regardless of being blocked by a decrease courtroom.Since Wilcox’s place stays unfilled, the labor board doesn’t have a quorum to rule on labor disputes, that means it’s unable to rule on main labor disputes.