"Amazon Served With First-Ever Joint-Employer Labor Complaint", 2 October 2024

Amazon.com Inc. is facing its first formal labor complaint involving accusations the e-commerce giant is a joint employer of its delivery drivers and broke federal law by terminating their contract.

A National Labor Relations Board regional director hit Amazon and its delivery service provider Battle Tested Strategies with the complaint Sept. 30 based on a merit determination last month that found the company should be held jointly responsible for drivers at the Palmdale, Calif., DAX8 warehouse, the agency announced...

The agency’s 17-page complaint alleges that Amazon and BTS failed to bargain with the union over the effects of terminating the contract, as well as a handful of other legal violations including delaying employee start times and increasing vehicle inspections to discourage union activities.

Acting Regional Director ... also charges the two companies with holding captive audience meetings, giving NLRB General Counsel ... another opportunity to ask the labor board to rule the mandatory meetings unlawful...

Acting Regional Director requested that all of BTS’s former drivers be hired into other contractors operating out of the DAX8 warehouse.

Hearings before an administrative law judge are set for March 2025.

Amazon spokesperson... said in a statement that the union has been “misrepresenting the facts” of the case, referring to other claims by the Teamsters that Amazon had terminated BTS’s contract in retaliation for the organization efforts. The NLRB dismissed these allegations...