With NLRB Complaint, Amazon Drivers 'One Step Closer' to Conditions They Deserve

Amazon needs to bargain in good faith

Julia Conley for Common Dreams

Weeks after the National Labor Relations Board ruled that retail giant Amazon is a joint employer of its delivery drivers and is legally obligated to bargain with their union, the board on Wednesday issued a formal complaint, saying the company "failed and refused" to negotiate with the Teamsters to secure a contract for the workers.

The company acted illegally, says the complaint, when it terminated its contract with Battle-Tested Strategies, a contractor that employs the drivers, after they unionized.

The complaint also accuses Amazon of making "unlawful threats and promises," holding anti-union captive audience meetings, discouraging union activities by delaying employee start times and increasing workplace inspections, and refusing to share information with the union.

Amazon has until October 15 to respond to the complaint, or the NLRB will prosecute the company before an administrative law judge in March 2025.

"Amazon wants to reap the benefits of drivers' labor without having to take on any of the responsibility for their well-being—and those days are over," said Teamsters general president Sean O'Brien. "This decision brings us one step closer to getting Amazon workers the pay, working conditions, and contracts they deserve. Amazon has no choice but to meet us at the negotiating table."

In August the NLRB concluded an investigation and found that although Amazon employs the drivers through a contractor, it exerts sufficient control over the workers to be considered their employer under federal labor law.

"Amazon can no longer hide behind its DSP [Delivery Service Partner] program to skirt responsibility for its driver workforce," said Bryant Cline, an Amazon driver and member of the Teamsters Local 396 union in Palmdale, California, which 84 drivers voted to join last year. "Today's decision by the labor board makes official what we've long known to be true—DSP drivers are Amazon employees, and we have a fundamental right to organize, unionize, and demand fair treatment and a contract from our multibillion-dollar employer."

Also on Wednesday, more than 100 delivery workers at a warehouse in San Francisco voted to join their local Teamsters union.

"The Amazon Teamsters movement grows bigger and stronger every day and will not be stopped," said the union. "Amazon workers: this is our moment."