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Perhaps the most prominent voice in this debate is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which has over a million members approving a decision. at its congress in June. the union’s commitment to “provide all necessary resources” to organize workers in the company and help them win a union contract.

Teamsters argue that holding union votes at individual workplaces at a company like Amazon is often futile because labor law allows employers to conduct aggressive anti-union campaigns, and high turnover means union supporters often leave the company before they get a chance. vote.

Instead, Teamsters prefer a combination of tactics such as strikes, protests and boycotts that force the company to come to the bargaining table and negotiate a contract that covers wages, benefits and working conditions. While the union did not elaborate on its tactics, held recently Strikes by drivers and dockers at a Southern California port to protest the treatment of drivers there.

Workers at other companies, likeable consumers, and even local businesses threatened by a giant like Amazon are hoping to get help to partially alleviate the challenges posed by high employee turnover.

“Building our relationships in the community is the way to go about it,” Randy Korgan, a Teamsters official from Southern California and the association’s national director for Amazon, said in a recent interview. “We could have applied for elections to many places over the last year, we got into that process, but we know that the election process has its shortcomings.”

The union believes it can use various political levers to help the company get on the defensive. Mr. Korgan referred to a recent vote by the Fort Wayne, Ind. City Council rejecting Amazon’s tax cut. a local Teamsters official spoke out against it, and a vote by the City Council in Arvada, Colo, refuse An Amazon delivery station with over 100,000 square feet. While the Arvada vote focused on traffic concerns, the Teamsters played a role in inciting opposition.

In California, Teamsters joined forces with the Los Angeles County Labor Federation and the Warehouse Worker Resource Center, an advocacy group, and supported a bill that would require certain employers to disclose the often opaque productivity quotas imposed on workers. are punished or fired for not being met. Legislative language makes it clear that Amazon is the main target.