Hundreds of Amazon Drivers Agree That They Deserve a Union in an Informal Driver-Led Survey - Gizmodo
In just a few short years, Amazon’s warehouse workers have gone from suffering in silence to jobsite walkouts in Minnesota and more recently a full-blown union vote in Alabama. Now it seems another segment of Amazon’s workforce is taking its first steps towards advocating for better conditions.
In an informal driver-led survey shared with Gizmodo, hundreds of U.S. and Canada-based delivery drivers—who transport packages for but are technically not employed by Amazon—describe constant surveillance, to-the-second time crunches, and accelerated work with stagnant pay. And the vast majority say they’d like to unionize.
The survey isn’t an official organizing effort, just a preliminary push to generate a consensus that Amazon is their employer and the working conditions are atrocious. “Unionization is included because it is aspirational,” a driver who conducted the survey told Gizmodo. “And Alabama votes are happening, and it’s a strong show of support for it too.” They’re referring to the swift, historic union vote orchestrated by Bessemer, Alabama warehouse workers—the NLRB will start tallying votes on March 30th to determine if the facility becomes the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S.
In just a few short years, Amazon’s warehouse workers have gone from suffering in silence to jobsite walkouts in Minnesota and more recently a full-blown union vote in Alabama. Now it seems another segment of Amazon’s workforce is taking its first steps towards advocating for better conditions.
In an informal driver-led survey shared with Gizmodo, hundreds of U.S. and Canada-based delivery drivers—who transport packages for but are technically not employed by Amazon—describe constant surveillance, to-the-second time crunches, and accelerated work with stagnant pay. And the vast majority say they’d like to unionize.
The survey isn’t an official organizing effort, just a preliminary push to generate a consensus that Amazon is their employer and the working conditions are atrocious. “Unionization is included because it is aspirational,” a driver who conducted the survey told Gizmodo. “And Alabama votes are happening, and it’s a strong show of support for it too.” They’re referring to the swift, historic union vote orchestrated by Bessemer, Alabama warehouse workers—the NLRB will start tallying votes on March 30th to determine if the facility becomes the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S.
