Amazon Workers in 20+ Countries Plan Black Friday Strike
2min read Amazon employees are planning a major move. On Thursday, strike organizers said that Amazon workers in more than 20 countries, including the United States, plan to go on strike during "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" to make Amazon pay the price.
The strikers, together with global trade unions and progressive international organizations, claim that the strike aims to demand that Amazon be held accountable for labor rights violations, environmental degradation, and threats to democracy.
Christy Hoffman, the union's secretary-general, emphasized that workers from India to the United States, from the UK to Canada, are rising up against exploitation and corporate intimidation. The "Make Amazon Pay" campaign is a powerful testament to the unity of workers, and no company can suppress the workers' cause for justice.
Organizers say the striking countries include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Brazil, India, and Turkey, among others. The strike dates are from Black Friday on November 29th to Cyber Monday on December 2nd.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest shopping seasons of the year in Western countries, where consumers typically spend a considerable amount of money on holiday gifts. Last year, Amazon's total sales during this holiday period exceeded $170 billion, accounting for 18% of the global Black Friday sales.
Striking during this shopping extravaganza is undoubtedly a very severe move by the workers. Analysts worry that the strike may lead to delays in Amazon's goods delivery during the Black Friday shopping season, thereby reducing the overall transaction volume.
Amazon responded to the strike action on Thursday. Company spokesperson Eileen Hards said that the organizers are deliberately misleading and spreading false statements. In fact, Amazon has always provided generous compensation, benefits, and excellent career opportunities. Amazon has created more than 1.5 million jobs worldwide and will continue to increase team numbers.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced an investment of $2.2 billion to raise the pay of its U.S. delivery and transportation workers. According to the company, these workers now have an average base wage of over $22 per hour, and with benefits, the average total compensation is over $29 per hour.
Amazon also stated that employees can enjoy comprehensive benefits from the first day of employment, including health, vision, and dental insurance; the company pays a substantial amount of the commercial pension plan; up to 20 weeks of paid leave, as well as Amazon's Career Choice program, which can prepay college tuition.
However, these conditions have not been able to stop the escalating labor conflicts at Amazon. In 2022, the establishment of the first Amazon union in a warehouse on New York's Staten Island directly became a symbolic event of Amazon's labor contradictions.
The Black Friday strike could potentially exacerbate the friction between Amazon's labor and management. So far, it is unclear how many Amazon employees will participate in the strike.