Amazon workers in the US could go on strike before Christmas, after members of the Teamsters union voted to back industrial action.
The workers say the online retail company has refused to recognize their union and ignored a Dec. 15 deadline to negotiate their contract.
Amazon facilities in Southern California, New York and Illinois may be affected, according to a statement from the Teamsters.
“The corporate elites running Amazon are leaving workers with no choice,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien.
“Amazon must be accountable to workers and customers alike. If workers are forced to the picket line, Amazon itself will strike,” he added.
The union said it represents thousands of workers at 10 Amazon facilities across the United States.
But Elaine Hards, an Amazon spokeswoman, said the union “continues to deliberately mislead the public — by claiming they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers’. They don’t”.
“Teamsters actively threatened, intimidated and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal,” he added.
Earlier this week, a Congressional investigation concluded that the e-commerce company’s pressure on its US warehouse workers to fulfill orders at high speed could lead to higher injury rates.
The investigation, led by Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders, also said the company had refused to introduce changes to improve safety because of concerns about its profits.
Amazon said the report was “factually incorrect”, and contained “selective, out-of-date information that lacks context and is not factual”.
The company, which employs about 800,000 people in the U.S., has faced allegations of unsafe conditions in its warehouses for years.
These concerns grew during the Covid pandemic, when e-commerce exploded, leading to protests by its workers around the world.
Amid the controversy, founder Jeff Bezos said the company needed to do better through its employees.
Senator Sanders, known for his pro-worker stance, launched an investigation into Amazon’s practices in June 2023. Senate staff conducted 135 interviews and reviewed more than 1,000 documents.
Their analysis of public records found that warehouses operated by Amazon recorded 30 percent more injuries than the warehouse industry average in 2023.