Amazon and Starbucks workers are on strike. Trump may have had something to do with it

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Amazon delivery drivers and Starbucks baristas are on strike in several US cities as they seek to put pressure on the two giants to recognize them as unionized workers or meet the demands of a new labor contract.

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The strikes that began on Thursday and Friday follow the latest standoff between corporate America and organized labor. The largest and most stable unions have won meaningful concessions from employers this year following strikes by Boeing factory workers, East and Gulf coast port workers, video game players, and hotel and casino workers on the Las Vegas Strip.

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But workers at Starbucks, Amazon and other popular consumer brands are still fighting for their first contracts. Amazon refuses to recognize the organizing efforts of drivers and warehouse workers – many of whom have voted to unionize – even though the powerful Teamsters union says it represents them. Starbucks has long resisted merging its stores, but had agreed to negotiate a contract by the end of the year.

Why are strikes happening now?

Strikes – especially those that occur during the holidays, a period of high economic activity – can help unions use power during negotiations or strengthen their muscles by gaining support from sympathetic workers and consumers.

Both Amazon and Starbucks have seen a wave of planning efforts following the COVID-19 pandemic. The epidemic is focused on front-line workers and the impact of economic inequality on the lives of high-income Americans.

Workers organized at bookstores, where unions are rare, and succeeded in campaigns at other stores owned by Apple, Trader Joe’s and outdoor gear company REI.

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But turning those wins into contracts can be challenging. At Amazon and Starbucks, which did not merge before the pandemic, workers have not yet reached an agreement with the e-commerce and coffee giants, both of which are headquartered in Seattle.

John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University, said he thinks workers at Amazon and Starbucks are “desperate” to make progress before President-elect Donald Trump appoints a majority of Republicans to the National Labor Relations Board. he is expected to be less friendly with the unions during his administration.

“The unions want to expose these disputes to the public and bring political pressure to the companies,” Logan said in a written statement. “If these disputes continue until next year, and if they are fought more through the labor board and the courts, the unions and the workers will probably lose. This could be their last, best chance to pressure the companies publicly before Trump takes office. “

However, Trump has also given signs that he may be friendlier to work in his second term compared to his first term. Last month, he chose Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to lead the Department of Labor in her new administration, nominating a Republican congresswoman with strong support from unions, including the Teamsters. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien also spoke at the Republican National Convention this past summer.

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Teamster-led strikes at Amazon

The Teamsters said Amazon workers are striking at seven delivery stations in Southern California, San Francisco, New York City, Atlanta and Skokie, Illinois, because the company ignored a Sunday deadline set by the union for contract negotiations. At midnight Saturday, the Teamsters said workers would strike again at the popular warehouse in New York, which voted to join the fledgling Amazon Labor Union in 2022 and has since chosen to work with the Teamsters.

A prominent labor group says it is fighting for higher wages, better benefits and safer working conditions for Amazon workers, many of whom experience economic insecurity while working for the $2.3 trillion company. It has not said how many workers or warehouse drivers at Amazon are joining the strike.

The union is focused on organizing delivery drivers, which the company says are not its employees because they are directly employed by contractors hired by Amazon to handle package deliveries.

That kind of setup gives Amazon more cover from unionization efforts in the industry — transportation and trucking — run by the Teamsters. However, the union argued before the National Labor Relations Board that the drivers, who wear Amazon’s blue vests and drive similarly colored vans, should be classified as company employees.

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Meanwhile, the online retailer has accused the union of pushing a “false story” about the thousands of workers it claims to represent. Amazon also raised its wages, saying it is offering warehouse and logistics workers a base wage of $22 an hour plus benefits. It recently increased hourly wages for subcontracted delivery drivers.

In September, the NLRB, which took action in favor of workers under President Joe Biden, filed a complaint that found the drivers to be Amazon union workers. The agency also accused Amazon of illegally failing to negotiate with the Teamsters over a contract for delivery drivers in California.

The Teamsters union says it also represents Amazon warehouse workers, including thousands of workers at a major New York City fulfillment center who voted to be represented by the Amazon Labor Union.

Amazon disputed the results of the 2022 election, saying the Amazon Labor Union and labor board had tainted the vote. The NLRB’s regional director issued a complaint last year accusing Amazon of violating the law by refusing to bargain with the union.

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Amazon is challenging the NLRB’s constitutionality in federal court along with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. In June, the Supreme Court made it difficult for the organization to win court orders in labor disputes, siding with Starbucks in a lawsuit filed by the company.

Contract negotiations at Starbucks

Unlike Amazon, contract negotiations have been ongoing at Starbucks.

But Starbucks Workers United, the union that organizes workers at 535 company-owned stores in the US starting in 2021, said the company failed to honor a commitment it made in February to reach a labor agreement this year.

The union also wants Starbucks to resolve outstanding legal issues, including hundreds of unfair labor lawsuits workers have filed with the National Labor Relations Board. The agency has also filed or settled hundreds of lawsuits against Amazon.

In announcing strikes that began Friday in Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle, Workers United said Starbucks proposed an economic package with no new pay raises for unionized baristas now and 1.5% raises in future years.

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Starbucks said Workers United ended the bargaining session early this week. The company also says it already offers pay and benefits worth $30 an hour to baristas who work at least 20 hours a week.

Starbucks workers walked off the job twice last year. Workers United said the latest strikes could spread to hundreds of stores across the country before Christmas Eve.

Patricia Campos-Medina, who recently ran for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat from New Jersey and heads Cornell University’s Worker Institute at the School of Industry and Labor, said she expects more union activity before Trump takes office.

Trump’s reaction will give the public a chance to see “what his responsibilities are to workers,” Campos-Medina said.

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Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this story.

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