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Amazon workers in California agree to join Teamsters

In 1st move of its kind, drivers and dispatchers in LA suburb affiliate with Teamsters

Amazon's delivery speeds have kicked up, executive says (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Eighty-four employees at Amazon.com Inc.’s Palmdale, California, location have agreed to organize their union–DAX8–with Teamsters Local 396, a move that marks the first time that Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) workers have affiliated with the Teamsters.

Drivers and dispatchers won what is known as “neutrality and voluntary union recognition” to join the local after negotiations with Teamsters Joint Council 42, the Teamsters said Monday in a statement.

The agreement, which will be voted on by the members in the coming weeks, includes immediate pay increases, substantial hourly raises in the fall, provisions that hold Amazon accountable on health and safety standards, a grievance procedure and other benefits, the union said. 

Full details of the agreement will be available upon ratification by the membership, the union said. Amazon was not immediately available for comment.


Amazon workers marched on the company in Palmdale on Monday to respect their right to organize and to work with their delivery service provider (DSP), Battle Tested Strategies, to honor the terms of the agreement, the Teamsters said. DSPs oversee Amazon delivery workers.

Other efforts by Amazon workers to unionize have not gone through the Teamsters, although the union has a division dedicated to organizing Amazon workers.

4 Comments

  1. Bill R

    As a UPS worker in South Carolina I hope the Teamsters can aid these folks in a better work life balance. Fed Ex, UPS and Amazon drivers have a tough job running in and out of trucks all day, I did one peak season and decided to stay part time for a reason.

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Mark Solomon

Formerly the Executive Editor at DC Velocity, Mark Solomon joined FreightWaves as Managing Editor of Freight Markets. Solomon began his journalistic career in 1982 at Traffic World magazine, ran his own public relations firm (Media Based Solutions) from 1994 to 2008, and has been at DC Velocity since then. Over the course of his career, Solomon has covered nearly the whole gamut of the transportation and logistics industry, including trucking, railroads, maritime, 3PLs, and regulatory issues. Solomon witnessed and narrated the rise of Amazon and XPO Logistics and the shift of the U.S. Postal Service from a mail-focused service to parcel, as well as the exponential, e-commerce-driven growth of warehouse square footage and omnichannel fulfillment.