NEW YORK CITY — On December 19 1000’s of Amazon staff organizing with the Teamsters introduced a cascade of unfair follow moves from coast to coast on the logistics large.
On the wooden line in Queens, New York, police arrested and launched Anthony Rosario, a Teamsters organizer, and Jogernsyn Cardenas, some of the putting staff, after which threatened mass arrests sooner than breaking the road in two to permit vehicles via.
Six different amenities in California, Illinois and Georgia also are on strike and the JFK8 achievement middle in Staten Island, N.Y. will quickly practice swimsuit.
The Teamsters are putting Amazon for the reason that corporate refuses to acknowledge the unions at its supply stations and achievement middle and cut price with its staff. The union has argued that below the brand new joint-employer same old the supply drivers also are legally staff of Amazon, which Amazon disputes.
In reaction, the Teamsters put Amazon bosses at the clock to offer bargaining dates by means of December 15 or face national moves sooner than the vacation buying groceries bonanza.
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The strike started at 6 a.m at supply station DBK4 in Maspeth, New York, the place staff delivery orders to consumers’ doorsteps within the NYC metro space. Greater than a hundred strikers grew to become out. Hours into the strike, the New York Police Division replied to the deliberate disruption to the corporate’s operations with two arrests.
The primary used to be of Amazon motive force Jogernsyn Cardenas, who says he joined the union push on the urging of his nephew however didn’t notice the strike had begun when he confirmed as much as paintings lately.
He stopped his van as putting co-workers shouted for him to sign up for them. “We have been surrounding the van, and we advised him to get out. Come sign up for us!” says Latrice Johnson, a motive force at one in all Amazon’s 8 subcontractors at DBK4 (whom I interviewed in regards to the union marketing campaign in September). “He used to be listening, and he sought after to grasp extra. And the police stopped that, they usually stored telling him to stay it shifting. He used to be pronouncing, ‘How am I gonna move any place? The individuals are right here. I can’t hit folks.’”
NYPD officials swarmed Cardenas, blockading him within the cab of his van and in the end arresting him after he tried to go away his car, over shouts of “Let him move!” from fellow staff and allies.
Cardenas used to be arrested after tried to go away his van. Luis Feliz Leon
“To look that guy wrongfully snatched out of the van whilst he’s at paintings at the clock” reminded Johnson of her brothers’ encounters with police. “And I stood up for him like I would do for any any such folks out right here, like all of us circle of relatives.”
Johnson joined others difficult Cardenas’s unencumber and trailed the police as they marched Cardenas down the road to a patrol automotive. An officer grabbed her by means of the waist and flung her again, then shoved her.
Breaking: Amazon motive force tried to sign up for Teamsters ULP strike. The law enforcement officials first attempted to dam him from leaving after which went into his cab and arrested him. Then they flung staff difficult his unencumber. percent.twitter.com/I4LN2W9Vbs— Luis Feliz Leon (@Lfelizleon) December 19, 2024
The second one arrest used to be of Anthony Rosario, Teamsters organizer and previous UPS motive force who used to be a chief within the 1997 UPS strike.
Rosario says he and the employees have been complying with law enforcement officials’ call for to let one truck via each and every two to 3 mins. When police started seeking to let extra vehicles via, he says, he “persisted to stroll, the usage of my proper … and you already know, they only made up our minds to arrest me. So on the finish of the day, they’re violating no longer handiest our First Modification rights, however they’re violating all of the staff rights in this wooden line.”
Employees stood robust on wooden traces, disrupting deliveries. Police threatened mass arrests with zip ties in hand, even though they didn’t practice via as staff united to shield each and every different.
Sooner or later, police barricaded the wooden line and cleared a trail for vehicles to go away the supply station unimpeded.
In a chilling reminder of what we’ve observed with arrests of activists collaborating in social protests, the law enforcement officials no longer handiest broke a wooden line, however additionally they threatened mass arrests to unsnarl Amazon’s operations from employee disruptions. percent.twitter.com/Mpre1zNuCM— Luis Feliz Leon (@Lfelizleon) December 19, 2024
Amazon directed remark requests to the NYPD, pronouncing it used to be the police who “selected to detain the people.” The NYPD didn’t reply by means of e-newsletter time. In a earlier remark, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel advised In Those Instances the strike is unlawful and the Teamsters don’t constitute 1000’s of Amazon staff.
Rosario and Cardenas have been launched with beef up from the Teamsters felony group.
“We’re all in combination on this. That’s the one means we’re gonna get what we would like,” mentioned Cardenas later on, alternating between talking in Spanish and English. “We gotta stay combating. If we don’t combat, we’re no longer gonna get extra money and extra advantages. As a result of, imagine it or no longer, we ship extra applications than UPS and FedEx.”
Teamsters Native 804 President Vincent Perrone perspectives the combat at Amazon as a do-or-die second to uphold business requirements around the logistics business. “While you have a look at those Amazon drivers and warehouse staff, they’ve to pay for their very own scientific,” says Perrone. “They’ve no pensions. They’re making part the hourly salary of UPS staff. UPS and FedEx used to dominate the business. Now this shithole corporate comes up that’s value a trillion greenbacks, they usually’re sending folks off into area. However they wish to pay folks like shit. We need to alternate that, and we’re going to alternate it proper now.”
Requested how he felt upon his unencumber, Cardenas mentioned, “I think like a hero as a result of I had the braveness to forestall my van.”
