Amazon workers in 5 states go on strike in push for contracts [Video]

Workers at seven Amazon facilities went on strike Thursday, an effort by the Teamsters union to pressure the e-commerce company for a labor agreement during a key shopping period.

The Teamsters said the workers, who voted to authorize strikes in recent days, joined picket lines after Amazon ignored a Sunday deadline the union set for contract negotiations. The union called it the largest strike against the company in U.S. history, although Amazon said it did not expect the labor action to impact its operations.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters claims it represents nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, a small portion of the 800,000 workers employed in the company’s U.S. warehouses. The union hasn’t said how many workers would participate in the strike or how long the walkout would last.

“Amazon is pushing its workers closer to the picket line by failing to show them the respect they have earned,” Teamsters General President …