Amazon settles Teamsters case accusing it of worker retaliation

Amazon He pledged not to retaliate against striking workers as part of a deal reached with federal labor officials.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters will reverse the unpaid leave the company “illegally” withheld from its laid-off workers and “ensure that all Amazon workers can strike in the future without losing their UPT.” in question In a release on Tuesday.

According to the National Labor Relations Board decision, the right to unpaid leave will be restored to more than 100 employees.

Amazon spokeswoman Eileen Hards told CNBC that there was no admission of wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

“While we believe our team has managed these situations appropriately, we have decided to resolve the issue so we can move forward and continue to work directly with our employees to make Amazon a great place to work,” Hards said in a statement. he said.

Amazon gives front-line workers a limited number of hours of unpaid leave, saying it can be used for “last-minute issues or emergencies,” according to the internal employee handbook cited in the NLRB complaint. If employees use more UPT hours than they are allocated, they risk being dismissed.

The NLRB cited several cases since 2022 in which Amazon reduced employees’ UPT after they were terminated. In at least one case, striking workers feared they would lose their jobs because their UPTs came back “negative” after being cut by Amazon, according to the complaint.

“These deductions and points are unlawfully coercive because they warn employees that their protected activities are bringing them closer to termination,” the NLRB wrote.

The Teamsters, one of the largest labor unions in the United States, have long sought to organize Amazon warehouse and delivery workers. It created an Amazon division in 2021 to support and fund unionization efforts by workers at the company.

Amazon’s front-line workers have tried to organize their workplaces with varying levels of success. for over ten years. Only two Amazon facilities, a Staten Island warehouse and a Whole Foods store in Philadelphia, have mounted successful union campaigns.

Amazon workers at seven U.S. delivery centers walked off the job in December 2024 in a strike organized by the Teamsters. The union says it represents about 10,000 Amazon workers, but the company denies that.

Amazon argues that its employees have the right to choose whether to join the union. But the company has faced widespread scrutiny from employees, lawmakers and federal agencies over its labor practices and has been accused of anti-union tactics.

The NLRB accused Amazon in 2024 of maintaining an “overly broad” opt-in policy that “secretly threatens workers across the country with consequences up to and including termination if they strike or go on strike,” in violation of federal labor laws.

The NLRB complaint stemmed from charges filed by Teamsters and Amazon workers at facilities in states including New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, Georgia and Minnesota.

Under the settlement, Amazon agreed not to fire or “otherwise discriminate” against employees who exceed their UPT balance or who terminate UPT within hours of participating in a strike or work stoppage.

The Teamsters said the company will also post a notice in employee break rooms at “all 1,300 Amazon facilities nationwide” informing workers of their rights to organize and the terms of the agreement.