Workers in Skokie walk off job during shipping season NBC Chicago [Video]

Thousands of Amazon workers are set to strike in the middle of holiday shipping season, including at one facility in the Chicago suburbs.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said workers at seven Amazon facilities, including an Amazon warehouse in Skokie, will begin a strike on Thursday morning. The move is an effort by the union to pressure the e-commerce company for a labor agreement during a key shopping period.

As of early Thursday, several workers outside the Skokie Amazon facility could be seen holding strike signs along the sidewalk and into the street around the warehouse. NBC 5’s Lisa Chavarria said the Skokie facility employees approximately 400 drivers.

The Teamsters say the workers, who authorized strikes in the past few days, are joining the picket line after Amazon ignored a Dec. 15 deadline the union set for contract negotiations.

The Teamsters say they represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, a small portion of the 1.5 million people Amazon employs in its warehouses and corporate offices.

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