Black Friday is here again and so is another annual event— strikes and other labor actions against
Amazon.com.
Labor groups claimed that Friday was the biggest day of strike action in
Amazon
‘s (ticker: AMZN) history as they looked to overshadow an expected surge in spending with the e-commerce giant for the period from Thanksgiving through to Cyber Monday.
The Make
Amazon
Pay campaign, coordinated by the UNI Global Union and Progressive International, said strikes and protests would take place in more than 30 countries.
In the U.K., the GMB union said more than 1,000 workers at a warehouse in Coventry would put down tools in a dispute over pay, while there also would be a protest at Amazon’s headquarters in London. In Germany, the Verdi union called on Amazon workers to go on an all-day strike, with the action affecting five logistics sites.
“Today will see the largest day of industrial disruption in Amazon’s thirty-year history,” said GMB organizer Amanda Gearing in a statement.
An Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Barron’s that the company didn’t expect any disruption to customers.
“We offer great pay and benefits for our employees, with great career opportunities, and provide a modern and safe working environment for all,” the spokesperson said.
Amazon shares were down slightly in early trading.
In the U.S., Amazon could face a wave of labor action after workers at a site in New York voted to form the first American union at the e-commerce giant’s facilities last year. However, several subsequent union drives have failed.
Recent union efforts in the U.S. instead have focused on delivery drivers. The Teamsters union said earlier this week that workers have picketed 25 warehouses around the U.S. in recent months. Amazon doesn’t directly employ its American delivery drivers, who are contracted via “delivery service partners.”
Write to Adam Clark at adam.clark@barrons.com
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