Amazon warehouse workers in dozens of countries including the United States are planning to walk off the job to protest pay and working conditions on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.
Labor stoppages are being planned for several warehouse locations throughout the country, including Bessemer, Ala.; Columbia, Md.; Detroit, Mich.; Durham, NC; Garner, NC; Joliet, Ill.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Portland, Ore.; and Washington, DC.
There is also a planned work stoppage at several Whole Foods store locations. Whole Foods is a subsidiary of Amazon.
Amazon employees and labor activists also plan to hold a protest rally in front of a New York City residence owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to CBS News.
The labor actions are being organized on social media under the hashtag #MakeAmazonPay.
“On Black Friday, in what has already been named #MakeAmazonPay day, unions, civil society and progressive elected officials will stand shoulder to shoulder in a massive global day of action to denounce Amazon’s despicable multimillion dollar campaigns to kill worker-lead union efforts,” said Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global Union.
“It’s time for the tech giant to cease their awful, unsafe practices immediately, respect the law and negotiate with the workers who want to make their jobs better.”
Last month, workers at an Albany facility voted against joining a union. Earlier this year, an Amazon warehouse on Staten Island became the first Amazon-run workplace to unionize.
The company has appealed the effort and sought to overturn the vote.
