Nationwide Amazon strike expands to Staten Island warehouse workers: 'Will not be stopped'
Amazon workers at a warehouse on Staten Island in New York will join thousands of disgruntled workers as the strike against the retail giant entered its second day Friday.
The Teamsters said in a release "momentum continues to mount" as workers seek "fair treatment" from the online retailer.
"The Amazon Teamsters movement grows bigger and stronger every day and will not be stopped," the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said in a statement posted on social media.
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The JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island joined thousands of Amazon workers to protest the corporation's refusal to "bargain with its workers who have chosen to unionize with the Teamsters."
The strike came after the Teamsters said Amazon ignored the union's Dec. 15 deadline to negotiate new contracts for higher wages, better benefits and safer working conditions.
Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien encouraged the latest warehouse to join the strike, saying it takes "courage" to stand up against big corporations.
"Amazon executives are cowards hiding behind lies, threats and intimidation to dodge their responsibilities to workers and the public," he said. "It takes real courage to stand up to a corporate bully, and Amazon Teamsters are doing just that."
The Staten Island workers joined thousands of other workers from seven sites in Skokie, Illinois; New York City; Atlanta; San Francisco; and Southern California.
Though the Teamsters say the union represents about 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon locations in the U.S., the company doesn't recognize workers' affiliation with the union.
Amazon says the Teamsters are "intentionally [misleading] the public" because they don't represent Amazon employees and drivers, company spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a previous statement to Fox Business.
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"For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public, claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.' They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative," Nantel said. "The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union."
Nantel also said the company "does not expect any impact on our operations."
Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz responded to Amazon's statement, saying the company is "gaslighting the American public with their false narratives."
"The truth is, over 20 bargaining units representing nearly 9,000 employees have successfully organized because for many years the company has exploited and abused workers, and these workers are fed up and fighting back," Deniz said.
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"No matter how massive Amazon’s corporate PR machine is, they cannot fool the American public into believing drivers delivering Amazon packages in Amazon-branded vans don’t actually work for Amazon," Deniz added. "No one believes this nonsense. Amazon needs to stop avoiding their legal obligation to these workers and get to the bargaining table now."
FOX Business' Pilar Arias and Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.