Throughout Amazon's 25-year history, there have been multiple rumblings of workers trying to unionize, but to no success. With record-breaking sales numbers and newly doubled shipping speeds, however, momentum to organize has picked up among some of Amazon's more than 650,000 worldwide employees. Three big unions are among those talking to Amazon workers — the Teamsters, the United Food & Commercial Workers Union and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. Recent worker protests point to organizing efforts. On Prime Day in July, a handful of Amazon workers at a fulfillment center in Shakopee, Minnesota, went on strike. It was the first strike by U.S. workers during the company's annual sales events that started five years ago, and one of several protests in the U.S. in the past year.

Amazon workers at Prime Day strike in Shakopee, Minnesota, on July 15, 2019. Katie Schoolov

The protests were organized by the Awood Center, an East African worker advocate group that's backed in part by the Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union, along with local labor groups like the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation. "The people who participated in today's event are mainly outside organizers who are uninformed about what it's really like to work inside an Amazon fulfillment center," Amazon spokesperson Rachael Lighty said at the time. "With only 15 employees who participated from this site, that tells me that our employees truly do believe that they are working in a safe and innovative workplace." Last year, Amazon led the industry by raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour, and it's known for generous benefits. Its Career Choice program pays up to 95% of tuition for associates studying high-demand fields. And last month, Amazon pledged $700 million to retrain a third of its U.S. workforce by 2025 to move to more advanced jobs. "We're already offering what unions are asking, which is industry leading pay, great benefits and a safe and innovative workplace," Lighty said.

A training video for managers

Leaked Amazon training video sent to Whole Foods managers in 2018