Hudson River Valley factory workers demand safer working conditions.
Rock Tavern, NY, September 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers at the Amazon SWF1 facility in Rock Tavern, New York, launched an unfair labor practice strike today after months of demanding that Amazon improve safer working conditions without response.
Workers are demanding an end to Amazon’s unsafe policies, such as dangerous conveyor belt speeds, and the company’s disregard for management when employees report unsafe conditions. They are also fighting to stop unfair performance demerits.
Javier Rivera, a warehouse worker at SWF1, said: “My colleagues and I have continuously raised our safety concerns with Amazon, but we’re always ignored and told we don’t know what we’re talking about. This isn’t just disrespectful—it puts our health and safety at unnecessary risk. If Amazon won’t listen to us on-site, then we’ll make it listen to us on the streets. We won’t stop until Amazon treats us with the dignity every worker deserves.”
Workers say they frequently see Amazon prioritize profits and productivity over safe working conditions. Many SWF1 employees must sort and locate items in aisles packed with packages while avoiding falling boxes. Amazon’s labor-sharing policy also often reassigns workers to other departments without proper training, increasing the likelihood of errors. Workers have posted these safety concerns on the company’s digital “Voice of the Associate” board, but instead of addressing the issues, Amazon deleted their messages.
Another warehouse worker at SWF1, Scott Spath, said: “Amazon wants us to be afraid because it knows it has no answer when workers stand together in unity and strength. When we unite and support one another, there’s nothing we can’t achieve. We are no longer waiting for Amazon to fix these issues. The only way to earn the respect we deserve is to fight for it ourselves—and that’s exactly what we’re doing at SWF1.”
SWF1 workers are on the picket line today, demanding that Amazon comply with the law and stop unfair labor practices at the facility.
The Teamsters, founded in 1903, represent over 1.3 million hardworking workers in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. For more information, visit Teamster.org. You can also follow @Teamsters on X or visit Facebook.com/teamsters on Facebook.
Contact: Maura Drumm, (215) 510-3735
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