84 Amazon delivery drivers in Palmdale, California, who unionized with the Teamsters in April, have gone on strike. The drivers were recognized by Amazon “Delivery Service Partner” (DSP) Battle-Tested Strategies in May. The strike was organized to demand better pay and improved safety conditions. This is the first time Amazon delivery drivers have gone on strike.
Amazon has a lot of control over these drivers despite not technically employing them. The drivers wear Amazon clothes and usually drive delivery trucks wrapped in Amazon’s artwork. The company has tightly controlled what its drivers can look like and post online, exercises control over when drivers can return if conditions are unsafe, and forces drivers to accept AI surveillance to be hired.
The union filed unfair labor charges against Amazon with the National Labor Relations Board in early May. The union called out Amazon’s practice of helping individuals start delivery logistics companies that are then exclusively contracted with Amazon. The drivers wear Amazon uniforms, drive Amazon trucks, identify themselves as Amazon employees, are continuously monitored and surveilled by Amazon managers, and receive their work assignments from Amazon. Despite this, Amazon has attempted to legally separate itself from these employees through a sham “Delivery Service Partner” (“DSP”) structure. Under this DSP structure, Amazon finds individuals with little to no experience running businesses and purports to help those individuals “start” businesses, all while selling them a false fantasy.
Unsafe Working Conditions
The drivers work in unsafe conditions, including driving without air conditioning in the desert, where temperatures can hit 118 degrees Fahrenheit. Inside the vans, drivers described internal temperatures over 130 degrees Fahrenheit, which feel “like walking into an oven.” The drivers are demanding better pay and improved safety conditions.
Last week, the Teamsters scored a tentative deal to put air conditioners in all of the small package delivery vehicles owned by UPS. Conditions like this are not uncommon in the delivery world.
Amazon delivery drivers in Palmdale, California, have gone on strike, demanding better pay and improved safety conditions. Despite not technically employing the drivers, Amazon exercises a lot of control over them. The drivers work in unsafe conditions, driving without air conditioning in the desert where the temperature can hit 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The union filed unfair labor charges against Amazon with the National Labor Relations Board in early May, calling out Amazon’s practice of helping individuals start delivery logistics companies that are then exclusively contracted with Amazon.
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