Black Friday strike: Amazon workers walk off the job during holiday shopping season

As shoppers spend their hard-earned money on Black Friday, Amazon workers in 20 countries are taking a stand against what the union said is “labor abuses, environmental degradation and threats to democracy.”

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Workers in Germany, the UK, Japan, Brazil and the U.S. are participating in the strike called “Make Amazon Pay days of resistance,” UNI Global Union and Progressive International announced in a news release.

Employees across the globe are demanding better pay and permission to form unions, ABC News reported.

The strike began on Black Friday and is planned to run through Cyber Monday, potentially causing delivery delays for consumers.

This is the fifth annual “Make Amazon Pay” strike held to shine a light on the company’s operations.

“Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit comes at a cost to workers, the environment and democracy,” Christy Hoffman, the general secretary of UNI Global Union, said, according to ABC News. “[Jeff] Bezos’ company has spent untold millions to stop workers from organizing, but the strikes and protests happening around the world show that workers’ desire for justice -- for union representation -- can’t be stopped. We stand united in demanding that Amazon treat its workers fairly, respect fundamental rights, and stop undermining the systems meant to protect us all.”

Amazon released a statement to ABC News that read, “This group is being intentionally misleading and continues to promote a false narrative. The fact is at Amazon we provide great pay, great benefits, and great opportunities -- all from day one. We’ve created more than 1.5 million jobs around the world, and counting, and we provide a modern, safe, and engaging workplace whether you work in an office or at one of our operations buildings.”

It is unknown how many workers in the U.S. are participating in the demonstrations, NBC News reported.

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, formed a union in 2022 and is so far the only location to do so, CBS News reported. Two other attempts to unionize failed.