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Amazon Workers in Minnesota Plan Prime Day Strike

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Amazon warehouse workers in Minnesota plan to strike during next week’s Prime Day shopping extravaganza.

Workers at a Shakopee, Minn., fulfillment center have arranged a six-hour work stoppage on July 15—day one of the retail giant’s 48-hour summer sale.

“Amazon is going to be telling one story about itself, which is they can ship a Kindle to your house in one day, isn’t that wonderful,” strike co-coordinator William Stolz told Bloomberg.

“We want to take the opportunity to talk about what it takes to make that work happen,” he continued, “and put pressure on Amazon to protect us and provide safe, reliable jobs.”

Employees plan to strike for six hours in total: three hours at the end of the day shift, and three hours at the start of the night shift. Workers will also rally outside the facility, some 25 miles from Minneapolis.

The protest, Bloomberg pointed out, would mark the first time Amazon’s U.S. workers have walked off the job during a key sales day.

In a show of solidarity, some of the company’s white collar engineers intend to fly to Minnesota to join the demonstration.

Amazon, meanwhile, contends that it already offers what workers are demanding.

“We provide great employment opportunities with excellent pay—ranging from $16.25 to $20.80 an hour, and comprehensive benefits including health care, up to 20 weeks parental leave, paid education, promotional opportunities, and more,” Amazon said in a statement published by the Washington Post.

“We encourage anyone to compare our pay, benefits, and workplace to other retailers and major employers in the Shakopee community and across the country,” the company continued. “And we invite anyone to see for themselves by taking a tour of the facility.”

Amazon’s annual Prime Day sale kicks off at midnight PT on Monday, July 15, and—for the first time ever—runs for a full 48 hours.

Subscribers have two days to shop more than 1 million deals, including limited-time offers and exclusive launches. Mark-downs apply to Prime members the world over.

Whether you brazenly browse on the office computer, hide your habits in a bathroom stall, or take a “sick day” to stay home and spend money, Amazon encourages buyers to remain alert.

You don’t need a Prime membership to snag great bargains this year, though: Target, eBay, and Walmart are each hosting their own parade of deals.

Beware, though, of overexcited shoppers and overloaded servers: Last year’s Prime Day was stymied by a crash that left users staring at dog photos instead of discounts.

In a cheeky survey ahead of this month’s event, anonymous workplace social network Blind asked 4,000 users whether Amazon will break down again.

A surprising 30 percent of Amazon’s own employees are betting on it. Meanwhile, 60 percent of eBay workers, 47 percent of Walmart laborers, and 42 percent of Wayfair respondents predict another system error.

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