Will the Amazon strike impact Iowa deliveries? Here’s what to know

A union vying to represent Amazon employees ignited the largest strike in the company’s history leading up to the holidays.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ strike started Thursday morning in four states, including neighboring Illinois.

“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, they’ve pushed workers to the limit and now they’re paying the price.”

Will the strike impact Amazon deliveries in Iowa this holiday season?

Will the Amazon strike delay deliveries to Iowa?

The strike isn’t expected to have any impact on Amazon’s operations, according to an email from an Amazon spokesperson to the Des Moines Register.

Nationwide, any delays would be minor and similar to winter weather delays, Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix, a software provider that tracks on-time delivery data for package shippers, told CNN.

Amazon has a lot of warehouses and very few are included in the strike, he said noting that the retailer could route packages through other facilities.

Why is Amazon on strike?

The strike of nearly 10,000 Amazon workers is aimed at fighting for higher wages, better benefits and safer conditions at work, according to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The union aims to put pressure on the online shopping retailer by threatening to delay deliveries during one of the busiest times of the year.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in an email to the Register that the union doesn’t reflect its workers, who have not held an election to seek union representation.

“The truth is that they were unable to get enough support from our employees and partners and have brought in outsiders to harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous,” Nantel said. “We appreciate all our team’s great work to serve their customers and communities, and thanks to them, we’re not seeing any impact to customers’ orders.”

Are there any Amazon strike locations in Iowa?

Strikes are expected to take place at Amazon sites in New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco, Skokie, Illinois and Southern California. No strikes are planned at any of the facilities in Iowa.

Where are some of the Amazon warehouse locations in Iowa?

Ankeny is home to a new 150,000-square-foot same-day delivery Amazon warehouse. There are at least four Amazon warehouses around the Des Moines metro with locations in Grimes, Bondurant and Altoona.

Iowa City and Davenport are also home to Amazon warehouses.

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.