Teamsters president stands firm against Amazon: 'Santa would be disgusted' by company's behavior
The Teamsters union strike against commerce giant Amazon is likely to continue and expand just days before the Christmas holiday, according to its president, Sean O’Brien.
"Santa would be disgusted at the behavior that Amazon has been engaging in over the last several years. They don't respect their workers. They don't respect who makes them the success they are, and we're going to hold them accountable," O’Brien said Thursday on "Cavuto: Coast to Coast."
"We've made attempts to sit down and bargain with Amazon, with the people that we represent that signed the majority of the cards. And Amazon has refused continuously. They've even petitioned the [National Labor Relations Board] to say that what we're doing is illegal, which it's not illegal," the Teamsters president continued. "So we have no other choice."
Thousands of Amazon workers organized under the Teamsters union went on strike at 6 a.m. Thursday after the company's "repeated refusal to follow the law and bargain."
About 10,000 Amazon Teamsters at seven facilities in Skokie, Illinois; New York City; Atlanta; San Francisco; and Southern California are participating in the "largest strike" against the trillion-dollar company in American history, the union said in a news release. Workers at other facilities are prepared to join them.
The strike comes after Teamsters claimed Amazon ignored the union's Dec. 15 deadline to negotiate new contracts for higher wages, better benefits and safer work conditions.
"These folks are out there 365 days a year getting abused by Amazon," O’Brien said. "They're getting beaten on the job… They're not getting paid accordingly. They're being paid through a scam which is a third-party leasing arrangement, which they are a joint employer. These people are not being paid a livable wage. They're getting minimal benefits, if any. And it's a disgrace, and it shouldn't be allowed to happen, and this company's worth $2 trillion."
O’Brien is calling for Amazon to negotiate in "good faith," noting the strikes will continue to expand not just in the U.S., but overseas in Germany as early as "today or tomorrow."
FOX Business’ Madison Alworth reported from the picket line in New York that two individuals had been arrested for disorderly conduct.
"I've reached out to the mayor of New York. I've reached out to the attorney general. We've got a problem in New York. Those are the only politicians that I've talked to where the police are not allowing our members their constitutional right to picket," the union president explained.
"But it's telling on how much influence Amazon has in New York. I mean, did they promise the police something? I don't know that," O’Brien posited. "But the reality of it is, we've got a constitutional right. We should be allowed to do it."
He also urged New York’s top Democratic leaders to show face on the picket line: "Right now, no one's walked that Amazon picket line. We've got Joe Biden still in office. We've got [Sen.] Chuck Schumer and [Rep.] AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], that is right in their backyard. Go out and show these workers how you support them."
The No. 1 issue the Teamsters allegedly want to resolve is related to pay and employee benefits.
"I want to make certain that they treat these employees with dignity and respect, make sure they pay the wages and benefits that they deserve, and comply like every other company that's in the same exact business. [We've] set industry standards with the United Parcel Service contract, with the DHL contract. And they should adhere to those standards and treat their employees accordingly," O’Brien said.
Amazon says the Teamsters union is "intentionally [misleading] the public" because they don't represent Amazon employees and drivers, company spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement to FOX Business.
Nantel also said the company "does not expect any impact on our operations," and "the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union."
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"Amazon spent $17 million in 2022 to 2023 to fight the union. Just think, if they invested that money in their workers, I mean, the cynics can say whatever they want. There's always going to be cynics no matter what. At the end of the day, we represent workers and we represent workers that have to put up with the abuse of an Amazon or any other corporate bigwig. So we're going to continue the fight," O’Brien responded.
"I'm going to jump on the picket line out there as well. So I'm in the battle gear, man."
FOX Business’ Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.