SEN. MURPHY, TEAMSTERS CALL OUT AMAZON FOR MISTREATMENT OF DELIVERY DRIVERS

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International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Jan 10, 2024, 16:47 ET

Amazon Delivery Drivers, Bipartisan Group of Senators Demand Answers on DSP Scheme

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Amazon delivery drivers represented by the Teamsters joined Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and a bipartisan group of senators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to call out Amazon's exploitative Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program. Murphy announced that he and 28 of his Senate colleagues sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy requesting information about the company's business model that subcontracts delivery drivers while controlling virtually every aspect of their working conditions.

Three Republican and 26 Democratic senators signed on to the letter, including Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). They expressed concerns that Amazon's DSP program is a scheme to avoid legal liability for high injury rates and the persistent mistreatment of DSP drivers.

"Amazon controls every facet of the job for DSP drivers, including their routes, vehicles, and uniforms, and subjects them to constant surveillance and harassment. Yet Amazon claims these workers are not its employees. It's a joke. Everyone knows these are Amazon drivers," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "Amazon has created a vast delivery network that drives down wages and erodes safety standards, undermining what should be good American jobs in the logistics industry. We must work together to hold Amazon accountable and take responsibility for its workers."

"Delivery drivers at Amazon have an injury and accident rate of 20 percent," Sen. Murphy said. "It's time for Amazon to do the right thing and improve conditions for some of its most important employees."

Last year, 84 workers in Palmdale, Calif., organized with the Teamsters Union, becoming the first unionized Amazon delivery drivers in the country. As members of Teamsters Local 396, the workers bargained a contract with Amazon DSP Battle-Tested Strategies (BTS). Despite the absolute control it wields over BTS and workers' terms and conditions of employment, Amazon refuses to recognize and honor the union contract. Instead, the corporation has engaged in unfair labor practices in violation of federal labor law. The workers have been on strike since June 2023 and have extended their picket line to dozens of Amazon delivery stations and warehouses nationwide.

"We filed our case with the National Labor Relations Board in April last year, and we need all the help we can get to pressure the government to do its job and hold Amazon accountable," said Jesse Moreno, a DSP driver and member of Local 396. "We thank every senator who has signed on to this letter and we encourage more to add their names. Every Amazon employee should be able to secure what our Teamster brothers and sisters at UPS have: a fair contract, a livable wage, and the respect we all deserve."

The bipartisan letter to Amazon cites numerous alleged violations of the National Labor Relations Act, including refusal to recognize and bargain with workers who joined Local 396, holding captive audience meetings to stifle organizing efforts, reducing DSP routes in response to union activity, and terminating workers in retaliation for union organizing and other protected activities.

Additional senators who signed onto the letter include: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Sen. Catherine Cortez Mastro (D-Nev.), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.Mex.), Sen. Maizie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:
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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters