Indiana Amazon Shoppers: Here’s Why Your Orders Might Arrive Late

We are in the final days leading up to Christmas, and those Prime member orders are definitely in full swing in hopes of that 2-day shipping guarantee. However, the brakes are coming to screeching to a halt on those delivery trucks across the country just a handful of days away from the biggest gift-giving holiday of the year. What is going on to cause such an interference between your money spent and your loved one’s wish list items?

Illinois Amazon facility affected by strike

At various locations around the country, Amazon workers have started an appeal and have taken to the picket line as of today, December 19th. The strike was set into motion by the Teamsters Union to emphasize the continuation of existing unions around the United States.

The strike is currently affecting up to seven Amazon facilities, including a warehouse in Skokie, Illinois near Chicago. It could end up being the largest union action against the company in its history. As of this morning (December 19th), Amazon says its operations haven't yet felt the impact, but that could change, and shoppers might start noticing delays soon.

Strike during the holiday rush

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters states that it represents roughly 10,000 Amazon staff members, contractors, delivery workers, and many others. Amazon as a whole has reportedly refused to recognize and acknowledge the existence of the union in prior years. Amazon has an estimated 1.5 million workers excluding those on their roster labeled as contractors, or part-time employees.

The picketers are striving to achieve the attention of the top dogs in corporate to receive the union and its workers as being a tangible union, with the desire to negotiate higher wages, better employee benefits, and overall improvements in the working conditions. Locations that plan to take to the line include locations in New York, Atlanta, L.A., San Francisco, and Skokie, Illinois. Members of the union have also claimed that hundreds of other additional warehouses, delivery hubs, and even non-unionized workers are planning a collective action on these topics of debate within the Teamsters Union.

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Amazon bites back

According to a news article from NPR, Amazon has made accusations against the union commenting to the press that the participants of the strike are “outsiders” meaning outside of being company employees or of being Amazon contracted workers.

“The truth is that they were unable to get enough support from our employees and partners and have brought in outsiders to come and harass and intimidate our team,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel stated in the NPR article.

“For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public- claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers. They don’t.”

How long will the strike last?

During an interview conducted by NPR, the union did state that the strike would last longer than one day but could not give details further on the expected length of the picketing would last. Teamsters informed NPR News that the striking union workers would not go without compensation for the duration of the strike and that they would receive pay of $1,000 a week directly from the union.

“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed,” Sean O’Brien, Teamsters President stated. “We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it.”

This union is one of the most powerful in North America and Canada and the strikes don’t stop at the US borders. Across the globe, the union represents approximately 1.3 million worldwide. Amazon workers in Germany have come out to support their American counterparts to also join the movement on their picket lines. Germany is no stranger when it comes to Amazon strikes as they have been known to occur before this event, as well as in Spain. Strikes around the holiday are popular as it brings more eyes, and pressure on the company big-wigs to make some critical choices.

Will your Amazon packages be delivered on time?

Typically, Amazon ships from the closest warehouse that has your item in stock to your home. Right now, it is hard to say. While I don’t discourage the use of Amazon as a retailer, consumers in Northern IN may want to consider other options like buying in-store to ensure your loved ones have gifts on Christmas morning. Average Amazon order deadlines are December 22nd for their 2-day shipping to make it home for Christmas.