Amazon workers strike globally to ‘Make Amazon Pay’

Amazon employees across the globe launched a strike against the retail giant during its biggest weekend of the year from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. 

The strike, organized by UNI Global Union and Progressive International, has been dubbed “Make Amazon Pay Day” and continues the organization’s annual walkout against Jeff Bezos’ multitrillion-dollar company. 

Workers in over 30 countries, including the U.S., and over 80 trade unions began striking Friday, marking the fifth straight year they hit the picket line on Black Friday. 

Progressive International said on Friday that Amazon was “reshaping capitalism in the 21st century” and made Mr. Bezos the world’s third-richest man. 

“Its power to break the bodies of its workers, change our laws, undermine our public realm, wreck our planet and support war is immense,” the organization said. “Amazon is everywhere and can travel anywhere.

“But Amazon’s power is not infinite. Just as it moves from country to country to avoid taxes, warehouse to warehouse to weaken strikes, we too are organizing everywhere.” 

Amazon accounted for about 8% of worldwide Black Friday sales last year and earned more than $170 billion in total sales during that time, according to an Amazon earnings report from this year.

Amazon spokeswoman Eileen Hards told ABC News that the organizations behind the strikes were “being intentionally misleading” and continuing “to promote a false narrative.” 

Earlier this year, the company invested $2.2 billion to boost the pay of fulfillment and transportation employees in the U.S. The average base wage rose from $22 an hour to $29 an hour when the value of their chosen benefits are added in, according to Amazon. 

Among those benefits are health, vision and dental insurance, along with up to 20 weeks of paid leave and a 401(k) of which the company matches half.

“The fact is at Amazon we provide great pay, great benefits and great opportunities — all from Day 1,” Ms. Hards said. “We’ve created more than 1.5 million jobs around the world and counting, and we provide a modern, safe and engaging workplace whether you work in an office or at one of our operations buildings.”