Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC), expressed concerns regarding the Teamsters Union’s protests at Amazon, which involve Delivery Service Provider employees. He warned that these actions could negatively impact thousands of small businesses. The statement was made on December 19, 2024.
“This latest Teamsters saga represents a publicity stunt and abuse of influence,” said Palomarez, President & CEO. “I am discouraged by the politicization and exploitation present in these protests. Given their close relationship with Senator Bernie Sanders, I am concerned that these protests are the next phase of the Senator’s Amazon Workplace report that ultimately fell on deaf ears.”
On the same day, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters initiated a strike involving Amazon workers at seven U.S. facilities, including locations in New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco. According to Reuters, the union said that this strike is the largest-ever against Amazon and aims to address issues related to wages, benefits, and working conditions.
Palomarez explained that the protests primarily involve employees of Delivery Service Providers (DSPs), which he described as “independent small businesses that fulfill shipping needs for Amazon.” He noted that “the only Amazon location in the country that is represented by a union is not participating,” highlighting the absence of direct Amazon employee involvement in these protests. In a press release from USHBC, Palomarez emphasized that the protests could have a “catastrophic impact on the over 4,400 small businesses with 400,000 employees that have achieved the American Dream through the DSP program.”
A Reddit user commented on this situation by stating that “Delivery station workers don’t deliver packages; it’s the DSPs that do,” underscoring that package deliveries are handled by Delivery Service Providers rather than Amazon employees.
According to Glenn Spencer, senior vice president of the Employment Policy Division at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC), the Teamsters union’s alleged “strike” against Amazon does not involve Amazon employees but instead includes workers from contractors who provide services to Amazon and members from unrelated industries. Spencer said there is “only one group of Amazon workers who claim Teamsters representation” at a Staten Island facility and noted that “workers at that location are not striking.” He compared this situation to a 2023 incident where the Teamsters organized drivers from a third-party contractor unaffiliated with Amazon.
Javier Palomarez has been serving as president and CEO of USHBC since September 2021. He is recognized nationally as an advocate for Hispanic small businesses and has over three decades of experience in multicultural marketing and sales for Fortune 100 companies. Palomarez graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Marketing from The University of Texas-Pan American.
