Posts tagged Battle-Tested Strategies
US labor regulator says Amazon is a joint employer of subcontracted delivery drivers in California
August 27, 2024 // Prosecutors at a federal labor agency have determined that Amazon is a joint employer of subcontracted drivers who delivered packages for the company in California, pushing back on claims from the online retailer that they are not its employees. The decision, made by a regional director for the National Labor Relations Board in Los Angeles, came after the agency investigated unfair labor practice charges filed against the company by the Teamsters union.
LA Strikes Embody Widespread Anxiety Over Worker Pay, Rise of AI
July 31, 2023 // The city has almost accidentally become a microcosm for worker unrest. Actors and writers—on strike simultaneously for the first time since 1960—have paralyzed Hollywood. Cleaners and cooks are sporadically picketing outside hotels, including the Beverly Hilton, the longtime venue of the Golden Globe Awards. Thousands of UPS drivers could strike next week if the Teamsters rank and file don’t quickly approve a tentative agreement announced Tuesday, following in the footsteps of port workers who walked off the job last month. Los Angeles Unified School District teachers also went on strike this year, winning a 30% pay increase after more than 400,000 students were out of class for three days. And in May, performers at a North Hollywood bar formed the first strippers’ union in the US in nearly three decades. Companies say they’re being unfairly blamed for the rising cost of living while they try to find common ground with unions—a dominant source of worker angst that has also resulted in California having the highest rate of homelessness in the nation.
Teamsters, UPS battle may be just a warmup for future Amazon fight, experts say
July 10, 2023 // Such a protest would be the largest single-company strike in decades; the union last walked off the job at UPS in 1997 for a 15-day strike that snarled the package supply chain worldwide. But talks between the Teamsters, who represent about 340,000 UPS workers, and the company collapsed Wednesday despite appearing to have reached a deal days earlier. Each side blamed the other for walking away after marathon Independence Day negotiations failed to yield an agreement despite signs of early progress.
Amazon drivers, dispatchers stage walkout at Palmdale warehouse
June 16, 2023 // The 84 workers involved in the one-day walkout are employed by logistics partner Battle-Tested Strategies and subcontracted by Amazon. They voted in April to join Teamsters Local 396 in hopes of boosting their wages to $30 hourly by September and securing immediate safety protections. In a statement issued Thursday, Amazon spokeswoman Eileen Hards said facts are “being intentionally misrepresented” by the Teamsters and Battle-Tested Strategies. “This company has a history of underperformance and not providing a safe environment, and was notified that Amazon was ending their contract before the Teamsters got involved to try and re-write the facts,” Hards said.
The Teamsters Say They Unionized Drivers at an Amazon Facility in California – But It Might Be More Complex
May 2, 2023 // Amazon told Sourcing Journal (SJ) that it had terminated its partnership with Battle-Tested Strategies before the agreement was reached. “This particular third-party company had a track record of failing to perform and had been notified of its termination for poor performance well before [The Teamster’s] announcement,” said Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards to SJ.