(Thérèse Boudreaux, The Center Square) Thousands of Amazon workers in the U.S. and abroad are striking from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.
Workers have participated in the annual strike for five straight years as part of “Make Amazon Pay” movement.
Spearheaded by UNI Global Union and Progressive International, the protests include street demonstrations of Amazon workers, unions, and civil society groups in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., Germany, Brazil and Japan.
The participants are demanding increased wages and better working conditions, saying they aim to “hold Amazon accountable for labour abuses, environmental degradation and threats to democracy.”
“Amazon’s relentless pursuit of profit comes at a cost to workers, the environment and democracy,” General Secretary of UNI Global Union Christy Hoffman said this week in a press release. “Bezos’s 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,” she continued. “‘Make Amazon Pay Day’ is becoming a global act of resistance against Amazon’s abuse of power.”
As of Sept. 30, the average pay for customer fulfillment and operations roles at Amazon is approximately $22 per hour, with benefits available.
The company says it also invested $2.2 billion in 2024 to increase wages and benefits, equivalent to a $3,000 average annual increase for full-time employees.
In a statement to multiple news outlets, Amazon accused the strike organizers of being “intentionally misleading” and spreading a “false narrative” about the company’s working conditions.
“The fact is, at Amazon we provide great pay, great benefits, and great opportunities—all from day one,” Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said. “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.”
