Sen. Murphy, Teamsters Call Out Amazon for Mistreatment of Delivery Drivers

[Omaha Steve]

2024.01.10

Amazon Delivery Drivers, Bipartisan Group of Senators Demand Answers on DSP Scheme

Press Contact: Kara Deniz Email: [e-mail]

(WASHINGTON) – Amazon delivery drivers represented by the Teamsters joined Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and a bipartisan group of senators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to call out Amazon’s exploitative Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program. Murphy announced that he and 28 of his Senate colleagues sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy requesting information about the company’s business model that subcontracts delivery drivers while controlling virtually every aspect of their working conditions.

Three Republican and 26 Democratic senators signed on to the letter, including Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). They expressed concerns that Amazon’s DSP program is a scheme to avoid legal liability for high injury rates and the persistent mistreatment of DSP drivers.

“Amazon controls every facet of the job for DSP drivers, including their routes, vehicles, and uniforms, and subjects them to constant surveillance and harassment. Yet Amazon claims these workers are not its employees. It’s a joke. Everyone knows these are Amazon drivers,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Amazon has created a vast delivery network that drives down wages and erodes safety standards, undermining what should be good American jobs in the logistics industry. We must work together to hold Amazon accountable and take responsibility for its workers.”

“Delivery drivers at Amazon have an injury and accident rate of 20 percent,” Sen. Murphy said. “It’s time for Amazon to do the right thing and improve conditions for some of its most important employees.”

FULL story: https://teamster.org/2024/01/sen-murphy-teamsters-call-out-amazon-for-mistreatment-of-delivery-drivers/