Gates, NY (WHAM) – Just days before Christmas, thousands of Amazon workers across the country are on strike after collective bargaining failed.

Businesses across the country went on strike Thursday as the holiday rush continues. The Teamsters Union calls it the largest strike against Amazon.

MORE: Amazon workers strike at multiple facilities as Teamsters seek labor deal

A rally was held at the Amazon fulfillment center on Manitou Road in Gates, where members of Teamsters Local 118 showed solidarity with their striking colleagues.

No workers are striking at the Amazon plant in Rochester because the site is non-union, but Teamsters Local 118 and other unions have rallied in support of workers there.

“Out here we support human rights, our worthy union rights,” said Ed Muoio, president of the region’s postal workers union.

According to the Teamsters, 9,000 Amazon workers are demanding union recognition, including warehouse workers and delivery drivers. The union claims Amazon is refusing to negotiate.

Tim Barbeto, president of Teamsters Local 118, said, “What’s happening is this has been going on for about two years. Amazon rejects a bargain and refuses to come to the negotiating table.

In a statement released to 13WHAM, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said: “For more than a year, the Teamsters have intentionally misled the public by claiming they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.’ This is not the case and this is another attempt to spread a false narrative. “The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers into joining, which is illegal and the subject of several pending unfair labor practice charges against the union.”

“You have the right to organize, and that’s contractual, that’s constitutional,” Muoio said. “The American people deserve it.”

While no Amazon workers from the Rochester plant showed up at the picket line Thursday, some apparently nodded in support of the local effort.

“A lot of them gave us a few thumbs up and took a few flyers,” Barbeto said.

Amazon spokesperson Nantel continued in a statement: “What you see here are almost entirely outsiders – not Amazon employees or partners – and to say otherwise is just another lie from the Teamsters. The truth is that they could not get enough support from our employees and partners and brought in outsiders to harass and intimidate our team, which is inappropriate and dangerous. We appreciate our team’s great work serving their customers and communities and remain focused on making it possible for customers to place their holiday orders.”

Barbeto concluded: “In every organizing initiative, we are just trying to help the workers. We want better wages and benefits and that’s what we want to push forward, that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”

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