Thursday, August 8, 2024
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The International Brotherhood of Teamsters achieved a significant victory in their nationwide effort to unionize Amazon workers. A federal judge ruled that the Teamsters are permitted to picket without interference at the massive Amazon Air Hub located at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
The air cargo hub, known as KCVG, shares its property with DHL, which employs thousands of ramp, tug, and sort workers who are actively organizing and securing contracts with the Teamsters.
On Wednesday, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky ruled that the Kenton County Airport Board, which oversees KCVG, cannot restrict workers’ right to free speech. Previously, the board had prohibited Teamsters’ demonstrations against Amazon, leading the union to seek an injunction.
“This is a significant victory for Amazon workers in Northern Kentucky and around the country who are sick of being silenced by this trillion-dollar corporation. Amazon workers everywhere are coming together to become Teamsters and win the rights and protections they deserve,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “You can be sure the Teamsters will carry this precedent to other communities around the country where Amazon is exploiting loopholes and breaking laws to take advantage of workers and inflate its bottom line. Our union of 1.3 million hardworking members applaud the court for doing the right thing in this case.”
Teamsters Local 89 in Louisville has been engaging with Amazon workers, organizing pickets and rallies around KCVG throughout the summer. In July, a permit filed by the local was denied after the airport board informed the Teamsters that the roadside site was not approved for demonstrations. However, this week’s District Court ruling ordered the board to allow the union to picket on sidewalks and other public easements around KCVG.
In Skokie, Illinois, over 100 Amazon drivers went on strike last month to protest the company’s unfair labor practices. These drivers have been collaborating with other Amazon workers to extend their picket lines to warehouse and driver facilities in New York and California. Additionally, in June, 5,500 members of the Amazon Labor Union voted nearly unanimously (98.3 percent) to affiliate with the Teamsters. This new labor affiliation, under the newly chartered ALU-IBT Local 1, will provide significant resources to Amazon warehouse workers as they organize and push for robust first contracts, representing workers at JFK8 in Staten Island, N.Y.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million dedicated workers across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
