When it comes to timing their strike to make an impact, the Teamsters couldn’t have picked a better one. The union has launched strikes against seven Amazon warehouses—and with Christmas less than a week away, that could have some last-minute shoppers wondering what will happen to their holiday orders.
Thousands of Amazon employees walked off the job Thursday during one of the company’s busiest times of year. Local unions are joining the Teamsters in putting up primary picket lines at hundreds of other Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide. The retailer says that won’t affect its operations, but that’s not stopping the Teamsters from fanning consumer concerns. (However, NYPD officers have erected barricades to allow nonunion workers to enter and leave the local distribution facility being picketed by the Teamsters.)
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” wrote Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien in a statement.
The Teamsters are hoping to force Amazon to the bargaining table to hammer out a union contract that improves wages and benefits. The union says the retailer has refused to bargain with them. (Amazon, in a statement, said the union has illegally intimidated and coerced “Amazon employees and third-party drivers” to join.)
Given that more than 157 million people in the U.S. are expected to shop online during Super Saturday this weekend, should you be worried that your Amazon purchase won’t arrive before Christmas? Here’s what you need to know.
Will this strike delay the delivery of my Amazon order?
The answer to that probably comes down to where you live. Amazon has around 800,000 warehouse workers in the U.S. in roughly 1,000 warehouses. So, percentagewise, this is a pretty miniscule number of workers on strike.
The warehouses that are facing picket lines, though, are in some of the country’s biggest cities—New York; Atlanta; San Francisco; Skokie, Illinois; and Southern California—which could result in some delays to customers in and around those cities. A lot of that will come down to how successful the Teamsters are in shutting down delivery stations—and if drivers for other services, such as UPS (where the Teamsters represent workers) are willing to cross the picket line to assist with deliveries.
How many people have walked off the job at Amazon?
That’s not yet clear. The Teamsters say nearly 10,000 workers at Amazon have joined the union, but how many of those are striking now was not disclosed.
What jobs do the striking Amazon workers do?
Warehouse workers and delivery drivers are the primary positions where employees are fighting for higher pay and better working conditions.
Amazon, it’s worth noting, contends that the delivery drivers are not employees, saying they work for a third-party.
“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,” said Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel in a statement.
How long will the Amazon strike last?
That’s also uncertain. The Teamsters have not said how long they plan to continue the work stoppage. If it’s all over in a day, the consumer impact will likely be minimal, but if the strike runs up until Christmas (or right before), the odds of people’s gifts being delayed, especially in major cities where the strike is taking place, become notably higher.
If I order from another online retailer, will my gift arrive in time?
Amazon, of course, is hardly the only online superstore. And there’s still time, as of Thursday, to take advantage of two-day and express shipping from retailers including Walmart, Target, and Best Buy (those windows, largely, start to close on December 22). (Several regional businesses will have sales this weekend, so it could be a really good time to shop local.)
Keep in mind, though, that if a huge wave of people shift their orders to other companies, that could create a backlog for retail-owned delivery services and/or UPS and FedEx.
What can I do if my Amazon order is delayed?
This is pretty much out of your hands. Amazon’s delivery dates are not guarantees—and orders are sometimes late even when there are no labor issues.
If it’s a gift that has to be there on Christmas Day, and you aren’t confident it will make it in time, you could potentially buy the item somewhere else and return one after the holidays are over.
Have we passed the holiday shipping deadlines at this point?
Some shipping deadlines for the USPS, UPS, and FedEx are today. There are still a couple of options if you’ve decided to grab your gift at the mall and want to mail it yourself. Beware, though, that the USPS has been experiencing delays throughout the holiday season and, for the most part, UPS and FedEx delivery estimates are not always guaranteed, especially this time of year.
Here’s what shipping companies are recommending for a delivery before December 24:
UPS shipping deadlines
Ground: Varies. Head to ups.com/ctc to find the date for your package
3 Day Select: December 19
2nd Day Air: December 20
Next Day Air: December 23
USPS shipping deadlines
Contiguous 48 states:
Ground: December 18
First-Class Mail: December 18
Priority Mail: December 19
Priority Mail Express: December 21
Alaska and Hawaii:
Ground: December 16
First-Class Mail: December 18
Priority Mail: December 19
Priority Mail Express: December 20
FedEx shipping deadlines
Home Delivery: December 23 (one-day shipping option)
Ground: December 23 (one-day shipping option)
Express Saver: December 19
2Day and 2Day AM: December 20
First Overnight, Priority Overnight, Standard Overnight, Extra Hours: December 23
SameDay: December 24
