Hi John, my name is Connor Spence, and I am the president of Amazon Labor Union IBT Local 1. Right now, my union is on strike.
We won our union election more than 2 ½ years ago, and Amazon has refused to come to the table and bargain with us. We gave them a deadline to meet us, in accordance with our legal rights, and they refused. So we have no choice but to go on strike.
We know that a strike at a place like Amazon is a big deal―especially with the holidays around the corner. So I want you to hear this directly from me: Amazon only speaks one language, and that’s money. We know this because the holidays are the busiest time in Amazon warehouses, and we’ve seen that they will work us to the bone for an extra buck. This is the time of year when the most workers are injured.
If they think we’re disposable, let’s see them handle the holiday rush without us.
I want to be clear: We are not calling for a boycott at this point. We want to reserve that tactic as an escalation if we need to squeeze Amazon further down the road, and it works best when we can get the boycott to start all at once.
But if you have shopped on Amazon this season, and thinking about the conditions inside the warehouses and delivery trucks that get your orders to you on time makes you feel bad, support our union.
In solidarity,
Connor Spence
President
Amazon Labor Union, IBT Local 1
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