Teamsters' Legal Hurdles After Union Wins at Amazon and DSPs
Editor's note: the article has been corrected from an earlier version regarding Teamsters success at the DSP level.
The Teamsters are basking in the glow of victory after organizing workers at a second Amazon warehouse, as well as an array of the e-commerce giant’s direct service providers (DSPs). These wins, however, come with their share of legal intricacies.
Despite the celebration over newfound labor successes, today's intricate labor laws and the fact that those van drivers cruising through neighborhoods don’t technically work for Amazon paint a convoluted picture.
The only Amazon locale where a union was successfully voted in occurred on Staten Island, one of New York City's boroughs, in 2022. Earlier this year, the Amazon Labor Union there joined forces with the Teamsters.
Now, the Teamsters are touting success at another Amazon location, an air hub in San Bernardino, California. However, this wasn't achieved through a formal vote overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Instead, they utilized a method known as