Southern California Amazon workers walk off job in protest of working conditions

Employees at Amazon’s San Bernardino air hub in Southern California walked off the job Monday in protest for higher wages and dealing situations.

Why it issues: Greater than 150 individuals participated within the stroll out as a part of the primary coordinated labor motion in Amazon’s rising air cargo community, based on the Washington Submit.

Sure, however: Amazon contested the determine. Spokesperson Paul Flaningan instructed WashPost some 74 workers participated in Monday’s motion.

Driving the information: The employees, who’re independently organized, are demanding a $5 pay enhance, improved well being and security requirements and an finish to what they described as “retaliation on the warehouse,” based on a statement from Inland Empire Amazon Employees United.

• The group main the native motion says Amazon is the biggest personal sector employer within the Inland Empire and alleges that the corporate failed to supply the group with high quality jobs amid huge earnings for the reason that begin of the pandemic.

What they’re saying: “Whether or not we’re affected by warmth exhaustion, not getting paid sufficient to afford lease, or being retaliated in opposition to for talking up, we all know we deserve higher,” Inland Empire Amazon Employees United stated.

• “We’re demanding greater requirements.”

The opposite aspect: “We respect and respect the direct relationship now we have with our workers to debate and handle suggestions,” Flaningan stated to WashPost.

• “By means of this open-door coverage now we have many communication channels we use, together with All Fingers conferences, which assist us handle worker considerations.”

By the numbers: The Amazon Air Freight Success Middle, which opened final yr, has about 1,500 workers.

• It is the corporate’s seventh air web site in California and makes use of Amazon Prime-branded air planes to ship packages across the nation.

The large image: Amazon has been pushing again in opposition to unionization efforts in its U.S. operations.

• Monday’s walkout underscores {that a} rising labor motion throughout the firm is exhibiting no indicators of slowing down.
• Representatives for Amazon didn’t instantly reply to Axios’ request for remark.

Go deeper: Amazon employees’ union victory is turbocharging a brand new labor motion