In today’s News and Commentary, Teamsters authorize Amazon strikes and House Republicans name the next Education and Workforce Committee chair. 

Unionized workers at two New York Amazon warehouses voted to authorize a strike unless their employer comes to the bargaining table. This move comes as one of the first major actions following the merger between the Teamsters and the formerly independent Amazon Labor Union. The two warehouses involved are JFK8 in Staten Island and DBK4 in Queens, where a total of over 5,500 workers are employed. 

While Amazon has refused to recognize the union during past walkouts, this potential strike comes amid the holiday season, a particularly busy time for the company. In a statement, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien demanded that Amazon come to the bargaining table or face the strike, saying “[i]f these white-collar criminals want to keep breaking the law, they better get ready for a fight.” 

On Thursday, it was announced that Representative Tim Wahlberg (R-MI) would be the next chairperson of the House Education and Workforce Committee. In a statement released by his office, the Representative vowed to “empower parents, incentivize workforce training, improve government efficiency, and unburden American innovators and job creators.” In the past, Wahlberg has introduced legislation to “rein-in” the NLRB, which he has criticized heavily under President Biden. In his fifteen-plus years in office, Wahlberg has been graded by the AFL-CIO to vote with working people twelve percent of the time.