Workers Worldwide Launch Black Friday Strike At Amazon

For the fourth year in a row, Amazon workers launched international strikes against the online retailer during Black Friday in hopes of disrupting one of the biggest days for holiday shopping.

Protests and strikes kicked off in more than 30 countries as workers demanded changes in wages, taxes, the right to unionize and environmental sustainability, according to the “Make Amazon Pay” campaign organizer UNI Global Union, a worldwide federation of service industry unions.

“Workers know that it doesn’t matter what country you’re in or what your job title is, we are all united in the fight for higher wages, an end to unreasonable quotas, and a voice on the job,” Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union, said in a statement.

Protesters gather Friday at Amazon's London headquarters to protest wages and working conditions.

In addition to public protests, worker strikes were planned at locations in the United States, Britain, Spain, Italy and Germany on Friday, according to UNI Global Union.

Though Black Friday shopping originated in the U.S., the strikes appeared to be much larger in Europe.

Strikes of more than 200 people at a warehouse in England and about 250 workers at a warehouse in Germany were planned, and a one-hour strike was called for all warehouses in Spain, according to Reuters.

Workers at Amazon distribution centers in Europe participated in a strike Friday to voice protests about working conditions and wages.

In the U.S., UNI Global Union reported one strike in Palmdale, California, where Amazon drivers have been on strike since June. The Palmdale strike began after Amazon firing dozens of drivers who had successfully formed a union and negotiated a contract with Amazon’s delivery service partner.

A walkout was also scheduled for Friday in Joliet, Illinois. Workers there have repeatedly protested low pay and poor working conditions.

An Amazon spokesperson called the protesters’ concerns about poor worker pay, safety issues and environmental injustice “false or misinformed.”

Amazon delivery drivers and dispatchers picket at the company's Palmdale, California, warehouse and delivery center in July.

“The fact is Amazon has created millions of good jobs, while helping create and support hundreds of thousands of small businesses around the world. We offer great pay and benefits for our employees, with great career opportunities, and provide a modern and safe working environment for all,” Amazon spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis said in an email.

Paradis also reiterated Amazon’s goal to be net zero carbon by 2040.

The company has said it will reach this goal of balancing carbon emissions with carbon removal by having fully electric vehicles, renewable-energy-powered facilities and sustainable packaging materials, and using carbon sequestration, which is the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions.

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