Eighty-four employees at Amazon.com Inc.’s Palmdale, California, location have agreed to organize their union–DAX8–with Teamsters Local 396, a move that marks the first time that Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) workers have affiliated with the Teamsters.
Drivers and dispatchers won what is known as “neutrality and voluntary union recognition” to join the local after negotiations with Teamsters Joint Council 42, the Teamsters said Monday in a statement.
The agreement, which will be voted on by the members in the coming weeks, includes immediate pay increases, substantial hourly raises in the fall, provisions that hold Amazon accountable on health and safety standards, a grievance procedure and other benefits, the union said.
Full details of the agreement will be available upon ratification by the membership, the union said. Amazon was not immediately available for comment.
Amazon workers marched on the company in Palmdale on Monday to respect their right to organize and to work with their delivery service provider (DSP), Battle Tested Strategies, to honor the terms of the agreement, the Teamsters said. DSPs oversee Amazon delivery workers.
Other efforts by Amazon workers to unionize have not gone through the Teamsters, although the union has a division dedicated to organizing Amazon workers.