Amazon workers walk off the job in Joliet

Amazon employees at an important distribution hub in Joliet walked off the job Tuesday, calling attention to their demands for higher pay and new workplace safety rules.

The walkout by some employees on the day shift was timed to disrupt the retailer’s operations during its Prime Day promotion, which lasts Tuesday and Wednesday. It was part of a national pressure campaign, supported by pro-labor groups, that included job actions near Atlanta and a walkout planned Friday in San Bernardino, California.

Organizers said more than 600 workers in Joliet signed a petition demanding that the company raise base hourly wages to $25. Amazon has said it has raised average starting pay for warehouse staff to $19 an hour. The workers also are demanding a more robust company response to death threats directed at Black employees that they said were posted in an employee washroom last May.

Cesar Escutia, a warehouse associate for about three months at Amazon, said a manager was dismissive about the threats despite widespread employee concerns. Escutia also said his hourly wage is $18.50.

A company spokesperson said $19 an hour is a national average, with a range of $16 to $26 an hour depending on the job and location in the U.S. The company did not say if the walkouts affected operations but issued a statement: “We value employee feedback and are always listening. We’re investing $1 billion over the next year to permanently raise hourly pay for frontline employees and we’ll continue looking for ways to improve their experience.”

Destiny Collins, a worker in Joliet, said Amazon has installed metal detectors but only for staff walking out, not walking in. “Even when we’re being threatened, Amazon is only worried about us stealing a few dollars worth of merchandise, not our lives. To them the only thing that’s disposable in the warehouse is us,” she said in a statement provided by Warehouse Workers for Justice.

Brian Ernst/Sun-Times file

The group streamed a video of Tuesday’s walkout and march in Joliet. It showed a few dozen people taking part. Workers said about 50 people left their jobs. A labor organizer said the facility at 250 Emerald Drive employs between 2,000 and 3,000 people, depending on seasonal hires.

An Amazon spokesperson said the turnout included members of the Teamsters union and relatively few warehouse workers. Tommy Carden, organizer with the warehouse justice group, said non-employees showed up to support the walkout but insisted about 50 Amazon staffers took part.

While Amazon has been scaling back its real estate expansion, it has said it will hire 3,500 seasonal employees in Illinois to prepare for holiday shipping.

The Joliet center is Amazon’s only cross-dock warehouse in Illinois, meaning that it takes products from vendors around the world. It sorts and ships them to regional fulfillment centers.

Workers in Joliet said some have faced retaliation for complaining about safety. The warehouse justice group said the workers have filed more than 50 complaints with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over treatment by managers.

The job actions are not tied to organizing by a particular labor union, although some employees are trying to form an independent group called Amazon Labor Union. Workers at a warehouse in Schodack, New York, are voting through Monday in a federally supervised election that will decide if they join the new union.

The group won the right to bargain at an Amazon facility in Staten Island, New York. Established unions have yet to successfully organize at Amazon, although the Teamsters have declared their intent to do so.

Escutia said that in Joliet, union affiliation “is not part of the conversation right now but some workers bring it up.” He said employees may opt to form a union “if Amazon drags its feet” addressing their issues.