Amazon denies employment status of striking delivery drivers.

Amazon delivery drivers in Palmdale, California, who unionized with the Teamsters in April, have gone on strike demanding better pay and improved safety conditions. Amazon, which uses contractor labor for the majority of its fleet, exercises a lot of control over these people it doesn’t technically employ. The company has tightly controlled what its drivers are allowed to look like and post online, exercises control over when drivers can return if conditions are unsafe, and forces drivers to accept AI surveillance to be hired. The drivers are employed by Battle-Tested Strategies, but Amazon provides branded trucks and uniforms, sets targets and conditions, terminates employees unilaterally, and much more.