1 min read

Season 6, Episode 181

Amazon Driver Discusses Working Conditions and Union Organizing

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Guest Name:


Alfred Munoz

Guest Website:


Teamsters Local 396 

Guest Social Media:


Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Supportive Documents:


Alfred Munoz, an Amazon Delivery Service Partner (DSP) driver and member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 396, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss Amazon's challenging working conditions and ongoing unionization efforts.

Munoz detailed the grueling expectations placed on Amazon drivers, including unrealistic delivery quotas and limited break times. He explained that drivers are expected to deliver 25 to 30 packages per hour, regardless of traffic, access issues or other variables beyond their control. He added that the pressure often forces drivers to skip breaks or find unsafe alternatives for restroom use. Munoz also highlighted how Amazon's "group stops" system artificially deflates the number of deliveries by listing multiple deliveries to many locations as only one stop, making it even harder for drivers to meet quotas and earn bonuses.

Munoz then discussed Amazon's attempts to distance itself from its delivery workforce. Despite drivers wearing Amazon uniforms, using Amazon vans and delivering Amazon packages, the company claims they are employed by third-party DSPs rather than Amazon itself. Munoz believes this arrangement has allowed Amazon to avoid responsibility for working conditions and made unionization more challenging. He emphasized that this structure is designed to separate workers and hinder organizing efforts.

Finally, Munoz discussed the progress of the organizing efforts among Amazon DSP drivers, particularly at the DAX5 delivery station in Southern California. He reported that four out of eight DSPs at the facility now have workers who want to unionize with the Teamsters. While this represents significant progress, Munoz said that Amazon's deep pockets allow the company to delay negotiations and resist union recognition. Despite these challenges, he stressed the importance of continued organizing efforts to improve working conditions and secure fair treatment for Amazon drivers.

Listen to the full episode for more details on the struggles and successes of Amazon DSP drivers' union organizing efforts.


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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