Toni Waterman: US Correspondent on the Amazon workers set to strike over the Christmas and Hanukkah period

Many Americans could be in trouble this Christmas. 

Amazon workers across a number of facilities in New York, Illinois, and Southern California are gearing up to strike later this week. 

The strike would take place the week before and during Christmas and Hanukkah, the two biggest gift giving holidays in the US. 

US Correspondent Toni Waterman told Andrew Dickens the workers are calling for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.  

She says they’re currently at a bit of a stalemate, as Amazon is refusing to recognise the union representing the workers. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
To the United States of America. We go in Austin
and Texas. It's Tony would have been Hella Toney.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:06):
So the GOP one to prosecute a Republican who investigated
Trump in the January sixth Capital riots. So this is
a growing list of enemies that Trump might go after.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yeah, it certainly is. So this has to do with
Liz Cheney. She was the vice chair of that committee
that investigated Trump's role in the January sixth attack on
the US Capitol, and her fellow Republicans have been investigating
that committee for months now, and there was this interim
report that was released on Tuesday, and they claim that
she likely broke a number of federal laws, including allegations

(00:42):
of witness tampering and essentially convincing a witness to lie.
And they now are calling on the FBI to investigate her.
The thing is is that Trump has nominated loyalists to
run not only the FBI, but also the Justice Department.
Of course, the incoming president has repeatedly and strongly hinted

(01:03):
that he wants to go after his political enemies. Liz Cheney,
who was the daughter of a former Vice president of
the United states Dick Cheney. She has come out and
blasted this report saying that it is full of lies
and just completely ignores Trump's role in the riots.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
So he wants to do what he's accusing them of
doing to him, So they would go, there's a pot
calling the kittle black. Hey, so merry Christmas. Amazon Zon strike.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah. So these are some strikes that have been authorized
at a number of Amazon facilities in New York, Illinois,
and in southern California. And some of these are actually
quite crucial hubs. So, for example, the San Bernardino location
in southern California is Amazon's largest air hub in the
Western US, with more than a thousand workers. So if

(01:51):
these strikes actually happen in the next week, it could
have just a major impact on the movement of packages
across the entire country, just a week for Christmas and Honokoh,
which is the biggest gift giving holidays in the US.
So these workers are calling for better wages, benefits, and
working conditions. The problem is is that Amazon is refusing

(02:12):
to recognize the union that is representing these workers. So
things are at a bit of a stalemate. So at
the end of the day, you know, it's perhaps going
to be Santa that's going to have to do a
bit more of the heavy lifting this Christmas.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Great Stefan, I thank you. That is Teddy would have
been out of the United States of America.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
For more familiar edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to
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