Amazon Teamsters Are Organizing at America’s Most Anti-Union Company — And We’re Going to Win

I work at one of the most profitable companies in the world, yet I’m barely able to get by. 

In August 2023, I got hired as a warehouse associate at DCK6, an Amazon delivery station in San Francisco, California. Within a matter of months, it became clear just how unjust and dysfunctional the workplace was. 

I start work at 3:20 a.m., and spend eight hours a day processing thousands of packages. By the end of the shift, my shoulders are sore, I am lightheaded, and I often feel like I am running on empty. Heavy boxes routinely fall on my co-workers’ heads. I’ve seen people get chemical burns from cleaning up hazardous materials. It’s not unusual to sustain long-term injuries from being overworked. My co-workers and I come to work every day, breaking our backs for a company that treats us as disposable, and refuses to offer living wages or adequate health care plans. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way. We have the power to demand better, and that’s why my co-workers and I are organizing with the Teamsters Union, standing up to our bosses, and demanding Amazon recognize our union. 

Management makes false promises, giving us the sense that if we just work hard enough, we will climb the ranks to become a manager or get a raise. Favoritism is rampant, and consistent understaffing makes us physically, mentally and emotionally stressed, leading to burnout. We will not let this company continue to exploit us. 

We are demanding union recognition and a Teamsters contract because we know that when we stand together, Amazon will be forced to hear our demands. Management has tried their best to stop us from talking to each other about workplace issues. They say they can only deal with people’s issues one-on-one, because Amazon knows that when we come together as a group, we have the power to actually change things for the better.

We are bringing people together, showing our co-workers and the company that we can make our workplace safer and healthier as a union. We are fighting for a living wage, a safe workplace which is free from harassment, and quality health care and benefits. We are unionizing in order to have a voice and call out Amazon for their mistreatment of workers. 

At 3:00 a.m. on October 2 my co-workers and I marched into DCK6, and demanded recognition for our union. We are proud to join over 1.3 million Teamsters nationwide, and we are fortunate to have the support of our union siblings from all over Northern California. Amazon wasted no time in launching their union-busting crusade. We aren’t falling for it. Amazon made $30 billion last year while paying us pennies. Amazon is scared of us. They see we have strength in numbers, and we are not backing down. 

Getting Amazon to recognize our union is going to take considerable community support. On October 3, we rallied outside of our facility with our co-workers, fellow union members, and elected officials, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed and California State Senator Scott Wiener. As we continue to fight for recognition and a Teamsters contract, we must continue to show that organized labor, elected officials, and the community stand with us.

We are taking on this fight not just at one facility, but simultaneously around the country. I am proud to be standing with my fellow Amazon Teamsters in San Bernardino, Skokie, Illinois; Queens and Staten Island, New York; and Northern Kentucky. As our numbers grow, our power grows. We must set our sights on forcing Amazon to come to the bargaining table and win a strong contract.

This is our moment. Let’s seize it.