Workers at San Francisco Amazon warehouse join nationwide strike

SAN FRANCISCO - With less than a week to go before Christmas, thousands of Amazon workers organized under the Teamsters union went on strike early Thursday morning after the company's "repeated refusal to follow the law and bargain."

Amazon Teamsters at seven facilities in Skokie, Illinois; New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco and Southern California are participating in the "largest strike" against the trillion-dollar company in American history, the union said in a news release. The workers are fighting for better wages and healthcare. 

It's not clear how long the strike will last. 

Dori Goldberg, who was striking at the DCK6 Amazon facility in San Francisco, said the length of the strike will depend on if Amazon will return to the negotiating table.

Goldberg said he earns $23 an hour and he lives in one of the most expensive cities in the country. The minimum wage is California is $16.50 an hour and 18.67 an hour in San Francisco. 

"I want to live a normal life," he said. "I don't want to scrape by. These are poverty wages." 

Nationally, the sentiment was the same. 

"Amazon’s greed knows no bounds. They refuse to recognize the union and continue to break the law," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. "If Amazon wants a fight, the 1.3 million-member Teamsters Union is ready to deliver. If they keep pushing workers and testing their patience, they’ll strike themselves into disruption.

Though Teamsters says it represents about 10,000 people across ten Amazon facilities in the U.S., Amazon doesn't recognize workers' affiliation with the union.

Amazon spokeswoman Eileen Hards said in a statement that the Teamsters "have continued to intentionally mislead the public," by claiming that they represent thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.

"They don't," Handel said. "And this is another attempt to push a false narrative. The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union."

Nantel also said the company "does not expect any impact on our operations."

The strike comes after Teamsters says Amazon ignored the union's Dec. 15 deadline to negotiate new contracts for higher wages, better benefits and safer work conditions.

Amazon Fulfillment Centers across the country will have primary picket lines set up by local unions, Teamsters said, and warehouse workers and drivers without collective bargaining agreements can legally honor them by withholding their labor.

"Amazon is one of the biggest, richest corporations in the world," said Gabriel Irizarry, a driver at DIL7 in Skokie, Illinois. "They talk a big game about taking care of their workers, but when it comes down to it, Amazon does not respect us and our right to negotiate for better working conditions and wages. We can’t even afford to pay our bills."

Amazon said team members are already offered competitive pay, immediate health benefits, a 401k match and career growth opportunities, adding that the company's average base wage was increased to $22 per hour in September.

In an X post on Wednesday night, Teamsters said its Amazon workers have run out of patience for the company and they are getting "strike ready" to win the contract they deserve.

"What we’re doing is historic," said Leah Pensler, a warehouse worker at DCK6 in San Francisco. "We are fighting against a vicious union-busting campaign, and we are going to win."

Elizabeth Pritchett from Fox Business contributed to this report.