Teamsters set deadline for labor talks with Amazon
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters set a deadline for Amazon to agree to bargaining dates to negotiate a union contract for drivers and warehouse workers, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Sunday, Dec. 15, deadline comes amid the busy holiday season and where labor unrest might be lurking.
The Teamsters said Amazon must commit to the bargaining table and work out a deal with its workers.
However, Amazon insisted the Teamsters don’t represent as many Amazon employees as it claims. Amazon said many of its drivers are independent contractors.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced it invested $2 billion toward its delivery drivers. That investment boosted wages by about $1.50 an hour, bringing the total hourly wage for drivers to $22.
That investment came after the Teamsters led strikes for Amazon workers, which included many of the company’s drivers across the U.S.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said Amazon has a legal obligation to start negotiating.
The American Labor Union, which successfully helped Amazon workers unionize at a warehouse in New York, announced it was joining forces with the Teamsters.
Driverless taxis are ready to hit the streets of Florida’s second-largest city. Waymo announced it will expand its services to Miami, offering transportation to riders starting in 2026.
A Waymo spokesperson said the company has been testing the vehicles’ driving performance since 2019. The service has run different trials through Miami’s wet and rainy climate, perfecting its ability to navigate changing weather patterns.
Waymo said it will operate in parts of Miami’s most populated areas.
Miami’s addition to Waymo’s roster comes after the company received a $5.6 billion investment. In October, Waymo closed on a funding order with plans to use the money toward the advancement of its services.
In November, sources revealed President-elect Donald Trump’s team was working on new legislation to ease restrictions currently in place for self-driving vehicles. If passed, it would allow manufacturers like Waymo to deploy more vehicles.
Waymo’s self-driving vehicles are already cruising the streets of San Francisco, Austin, Los Angeles and Phoenix. The company added Miami to the list as the market for robotaxis becomes more competitive.
Several companies, including Tesla, General Motors and Amazon, have also been testing self-driving services.
Waymo remains the only developer to offer autonomous ride-hailing taxis. According to the company, it’s seen more than 150,000 paid riders per week across its major metro areas.
Partnerships between vehicle financing company Moove and Uber have helped to keep Waymo ahead of the race.
Starting in 2025, Uber will take over fleet management of Waymo vehicles. Moove will be responsible for infrastructure in Phoenix starting early next year.
DC accuses Amazon of ‘secretly’ excluding zip codes from 2-day delivery
Amazon is accused of “secretly” excluding “historically underserved” areas of Washington, D.C., from high-speed delivery with Prime. The lawsuit brought by Attorney General Brian Schwalballeges the e-commerce giant kept two zip codes from getting the fastest delivery service promoted with Amazon Prime while still charging those residents the full-price fee.
This lawsuit claimed the company stopped using its Amazon trucks to service Wards 7 and 8 in June 2022. Instead, the company used outside carriers like USPS and UPS.
The nation’s capital is divided into eight wards, each with roughly 75,000 residents. Wards 7 and 8 consist of areas mostly east of the Anacostia River. Those two wards traditionally have the most violent crime in the city, according to Washington government data analyzed by CrimeDataDC.com.
The lawsuit said before Amazon made the decision, more than 72% of Prime deliveries in the two wards reached their destination within two days. That number fell to 24% by 2023 after the company started restricting drivers in the area. Meanwhile, the rest of Washington D.C. maintained a rate of 74% for two-day deliveries.
The lawsuit said Amazon never notified Prime members in the affected areas that they were excluded from two-day deliveries. The attorney general said when users in the affected wards complained to Amazon about slow delivery times, representatives would say it was “never on purpose” or imply they were one-time occurrences caused by circumstances outside Amazon’s control.
“Amazon is charging tens of thousands of hard-working Ward 7 and 8 residents for an expedited delivery service it promises but does not provide,” Schwalb said in a statement. “While Amazon has every right to make operational changes, it cannot covertly decide that a dollar in one zip code is worth less than a dollar in another.”
In response to the suit, Amazon said it is “categorically false” that its actions are “discriminatory or deceptive.”
“We want to be able to deliver as fast as we possibly can to every zip code across the country, however, at the same time we must put the safety of delivery drivers first,” Amazon Spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement to Straight Arrow News. “In the zip codes in question, there have been specific and targeted acts against drivers delivering Amazon packages. We made the deliberate choice to adjust our operations, including delivery routes and times, for the sole reason of protecting the safety of drivers.”
Wards 7 and 8 have large Black populations. Back in 2016, a Bloomberg investigation found Black residents were “about half as likely” to be eligible for Amazon same-day delivery. In response to that investigation, Amazon expanded same-day delivery in cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Washington.
Cyber Monday pulls in record $13.3 billion in sales
Your chances to get some of the deepest discounts of the holiday shopping season have passed with Cyber Monday now in the books. Consumers took full advantage, collectively spending a record $13.3 billion online during Cyber Monday.
Adobe Analytics said that’s up 7.3% from last year and surpassed projections of $13.2 billion in sales. The company said between the peak hours of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. alone, people spent a combined $15.8 million every 60 seconds.
“Cyber Monday remains the biggest online shopping day of all time, as shoppers took advantage of bigger-than-expected discounts in categories such as electronics (peaking at 30.1% off listed price), toys (26.1%), apparel (23.2%), televisions (21.8%), and computers (21.5%),” Adobe said.
Adobe said “buy now, pay later” plans were quite popular, accounting for more than $991 million worth of Cyber Monday spending.
The company said toys were the clear winner on Cyber Monday, with online sales growing 680% compared to an average day in October 2024.
Other interesting facts include: 57% of online sales came through a mobile device, representing $7.6 billion in spend; traffic to retail sites from chat bots (shoppers clicking on a link to a retail site) increased by 1,950% compared to the year prior; and there was record online spending on Thanksgiving Day of $6.1 billion, up 8.8% from last year.
Adobe said deals will continue in the weeks leading up to Christmas, but will come down from their Cyber Monday peak. Adobe said shoppers can still find good bargains through the month in computers (peaking at 18% off listed price), toys (18%), electronics (17%), televisions (17%), apparel (17%), sporting goods (16%), and appliances (14%).
Subscription service offers insurance to protect deliveries from ‘porch pirates’
Millions of Americans will be getting everything from packages to groceries delivered to their doorstep this holiday season. But with the threat of “porch pirates,” one startup is set to offer insurance for stolen packages.
PorchPals, a subscription-based startup rolling out nationwide this week, offers coverage of up to $2,000 worth of deliveries or up to three claims per year. The service costs $120 annually.
It’s part of efforts to lessen the blow when packages are stolen from doorsteps. The personal finance site ValuePenguin estimates nearly half of shoppers can expect to have at least one package taken by porch pirates during the holiday season.
Companies like Amazon often make accommodations for customers who don’t receive their deliveries. While retailers don’t have to provide a replacement or refund, they often do to keep customers happy.
Other companies have offered everything from doorbell cameras and lockboxes to locker rentals as options for people to keep their deliveries safe.
If you want to go the free route, there are options. You can try to be home when the packages are delivered, require a signature for drop-off or set up a pickup for your items at a local warehouse, locker or at the store.
What to expect on Cyber Monday as big-box stores look to attract customers
The holiday shopping season is now well underway with stores pushing big discounts to try to attract customers. Come Monday, Dec. 2, lots of people will be online clicking the box that says “buy” or “purchase”, as Cyber Monday deals launch.
Amazon began running sales on Friday, Nov. 29, including 50% off headphones and 40% off household items including vacuums.
Target is expected to kick off its online sales on Sunday, Dec. 1, and extend them through Cyber Monday. There’ll be big discounts on items such as Airpods and Apple Watches, some for $200 or less.
Walmart will also begin offering online deals on Sunday, Dec. 1. Electronics, such as a 32-inch smart TV, will be available for under $100. Laptop computers will go for less than $150.
Some analysts are urging shoppers to consider the effect President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs might have on popular gift items. Trump has threatened to hit China with a 60% levy, plus Mexico and Canada with a possible 25% tariff.
Chip Lupo, from Wallethub, told Newsweek that electronics, appliances, cars and furniture would be specifically vulnerable to price increases because of their reliance on imported parts and materials. He named smartphones, laptops, tablets and gaming consoles as items that would see price hikes.
In 2023, Americans spent roughly $12.5 billion on Cyber Monday. That number is expected to hit close to the $14 billion mark this year, according to marketing experts.
The retailers vying to win this year’s shortened holiday shopping season
The holiday shopping season officially kicked off on Black Friday, but this year, holiday sales are expected to grow at the slowest pace since 2018. While inflation has significantly slowed, compounded inflation over the years has families thinking twice about big purchases or multiple smaller purchases.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) still projects Americans will spend more this year than ever before. Shoppers are edging ever closer to that trillion-dollar mark, with estimates holiday spending will reach between $979.5 billion and $989 billion, compared with $956 billion last year. That represents 2.5% to 3.5% growth, the slowest growth in six years.
One thing out of retailers’ control is the shorter-than-usual holiday shopping season. Thanksgiving came exceptionally late in 2024, shrinking the shopping season by five days compared with 2023.
Fewer days to capitalize is bad news for retailers and small businesses already feeling the inflation crunch. Target is one of them. The red retailer’s stock price plunged 22% after reporting the latest quarterly earnings and forecasting a flat holiday season.
“Consumers tell us their budgets remain stretched and they’re shopping carefully as they work to overcome the cumulative impact of multiple years of price inflation,” CEO Brian Cornell said on a call with analysts.
Despite efforts by Target over the past six months to slash prices on thousands of items, customers aren’t expecting to pay less at Target stores. Instead, middle- and upper-income shoppers are switching to Walmart, where the world’s largest retailer is feeling jollier about the upcoming holiday spending.
Walmart told its workers it plans to win the season, and expects holiday growth to outpace NRF estimates. Analysts caution that Walmart’s success is not a sign of broader retail industry health, since Walmart is snagging inflation-fatigued customers away from other stores.
Walmart is increasingly focusing on two fronts, in-store and online. Last quarter, Walmart’s e-commerce sales jumped 22%.
If Target is chasing Walmart, Walmart is chasing Amazon. EMarketer projects Amazon will capture 42% of all U.S. online holiday sales. They forecast Walmart’s share will be around 8%.
Amazon will also look to expand on last year’s initial success with interactive advertisements during its Black Friday football broadcast.
Overall, the NRF said holiday online shopping will increase 8% to 9% this year, accounting for about 30% of all holiday spending.
Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border
President-elect Donald Trump said Mexico has agreed to stem the tide of migrants flowing into the United States, but Mexico’s president is now saying that’s not quite accurate. And Amazon workers are using Black Friday to make a statement about their labor situation. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.
Mexico’s president refutes Trump’s claim she promised to close the border
As President-elect Donald Trump gets ready to return to office, he’s already making moves to follow through on some of his biggest campaign promises. After announcing this week his plans to impose tariffs on goods from China, Canada and Mexico, he turned his attention to another hot-button issue: immigration.
It’s a bit of a case of “he said, she said” after Trump had a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday, Nov. 27. President-elect Trump posted on his Truth Social platform after the call saying Sheinbaum agreed to stop migration into the U.S. through Mexico, “effectively closing our southern border.”
Sheinbaum appeared to contradict Trump in a post of her own on X, saying in part, “Mexico’s position is not to close borders…”
She did, however, lay out Mexico’s “comprehensive strategy” for addressing the migration issue. In a separate post on X, Sheinbaum said during the call, she told President-elect Trump, “No caravans are arriving at the border because they are being attended to in Mexico.”
En nuestra conversación con el presidente Trump, le expuse la estrategia integral que ha seguido México para atender el fenómeno migratorio, respetando los derechos humanos. Gracias a ello se atiende a las personas migrantes y a las caravanas previo a que lleguen a la frontera.…
The two leaders also talked about how they’re addressing the U.S. fentanyl crisis.
The call was scheduled after Trump unveiled plans to slap 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico to the U.S. as part of the effort to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. through Mexico.
Not only would that impact the prices of avocados and agave — both very popular in the U.S. — Mexico’s economy secretary said Wednesday 88% of all North American pickup trucks come from Mexico. Sheinbaum then suggested Mexico could retaliate with tariffs of its own.
“I hope he rethinks it,” Biden said. “I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do. You know, one of the things you’ve heard me say before is that we are – we have an unusual situation in America. We’re surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies: Mexico and Canada. The last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.”
Economists forecast Trump’s planned tariffs would increase prices for American shoppers, costing the average U.S. household about $2,600 per year, according to an estimate from the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Israel and Hezbollah both claim ceasefire violations
Barely three days into a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, both sides are claiming violations.
Yesterday, Hezbollah had a precision-guided missile manufacturing site—today, they don’t.
Hezbollah’s largest precision-guided missiles manufacturing site, 1.4km wide and 70m underground, was struck and dismantled by IAF fighter jets yesterday.
Lebanese authorities also said two people, who were trying to return to southern Lebanon, were shot and wounded by Israeli forces. Lebanon’s health ministry said they were civilians, but the IDF claimed they were suspected of violating terms of the truce.
The agreement, brokered by the United States and France, includes an initial two-month ceasefire during which Hezbollah militants will withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border.
Thousands of Amazon workers to strike from Black Friday to Cyber Monday
Amazon workers in more than 20 countries, including the U.S., are on strike on some of the busiest pre-Christmas shopping days across the world. It started on Black Friday, Nov. 29, a day for bargain hunters to score some of the biggest discounts from stores across the country as holiday shopping kicks into high gear.
Organizers told the United Nations the so-called “days of resistance” are to hold Amazon accountable for alleged labor abuses, as well as “environmental degradation and threats to democracy.” According to ABC News, the strike could delay holiday deliveries.
The organizers said this is their fifth year of labor action against Amazon during the beginning of the holiday shopping season.
In a statement, Amazon said the group that organized the strikes is being “intentionally misleading” and promoting a “false narrative.” Management said the company offers great pay and benefits.
Canada sues Google over control of online ads
Canada’s antitrust watchdog said it is suing Google over alleged anti-competitive conduct in the company’s online advertising business. They’re calling for Google to sell off two of its ad tech services and pay a penalty.
The Competition Bureau said it’s necessary because an investigation into Google found the company “unlawfully” tied together its ad tech tools to maintain its dominant market position. Google insists the online advertising market is a highly competitive sector and is fighting the allegations.
This comes just a week after the U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge to force Google to sell its Chrome web browser, saying it continues to crush the competition through its dominant search engine.
America facing a live Christmas tree shortage again
As millions of Americans get ready to begin their search for the perfect Christmas tree, growers are having historic challenges getting them to sale lots, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The day after Thanksgiving is usually the biggest day for live tree sales, but since Thanksgiving came so late this year, it’s a very short selling season. On top of that, a nationwide shortage is expected thanks to severe weather across the country this year, such as a northeastern drought and North Carolina floods caused by Hurricane Helene. North Carolina is the second-biggest supplier of Christmas trees in the country.
Shoppers bought roughly 21.6 million real Christmas trees in the U.S. last year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. The Department of Agriculture said the number of trees harvested in the U.S. has declined 30% since 2002, while the American population has grown 16% over the same period.
Alaska native air drops Thanksgiving turkeys to families in remote areas
In the most remote parts of Alaska a Thanksgiving turkey is hard to come by. So, one woman made sure families in roadless parts of the state had their holiday feast.
Pilot Esther Keim calls it “Alaska Turkey Bomb.” She flies in a small plane to off-the-grid homes and air drops frozen turkeys for families to enjoy for Thanksgiving.
Keim said it’s a tribute to a family friend who did the same thing for her family when she was growing up.
She started the tradition in 2022 after somebody that she knew told her they did not have much of a holiday dinner — and no turkey at all. Since then, she has delivered 30 to 40 turkeys every year to families living in remote areas of Alaska.
Amazon workers in 20 countries plan Black Friday, Cyber Monday strike
Thousands of Amazon workers from around the world are planning to strike again on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. This is the fifth holiday season in a row for Make Amazon Pay protests, when warehouse staff and delivery drivers strike in support of workers’ rights and climate action from Black Friday through Cyber Monday.
Employees in 20 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, are demanding higher pay, the option to unionize, and a company commitment to environmental sustainability.
It’s all led by a pair of social and economic justice organizations, UNI Global and Progressive International.
“Amazon is everywhere, but so are we,” Progressive International’s Co-General Coordinator Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla said. “By uniting our movements across borders, we can not only force Amazon to change its ways but lay the foundations of a world that prioritizes human dignity, not Jeff Bezos’ bank balance.”
According to numbers from Amazon, employees in the U.S. can earn between $18.50 and $29.50 per hour depending on the position and location.
A 2023 report by the National Employment Law Project found that warehouse workers in areas with Amazon fulfillment centers make $822 less a month than warehouse workers in areas that don’t have Amazon fulfillment centers.
It’s not clear exactly how much more money Amazon workers are asking for, but they specifically want hazard pay and premium pay for peak times.
When it comes to environmental concerns, the advocacy groups are asking Amazon to commit to zero emissions by 2030 and to transition to electric vehicles.
An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement that it is already taking a proactive stance against climate change by becoming the world’s largest purchaser of renewable energy.
“These groups represent a variety of interests, and while we’re always listening and looking at ways to improve, we remain proud of the competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and engaging, safe work experience we provide our teams,” Amazon said.
What holiday toys made the 2024 best and worst lists?
One thing on the minds of most parents this time of the year: “What are the hottest holiday toys and how can I get my hands on them?” Whether it’s Cabbage Patch Kids, Tickle Me Elmo or Hatchimals, there’s always been at least one toy that causes a frenzy.
The group has released its 52 annual list of nominees of the toys it says parents should be wary of.
One toy on the list is the Pinovk Toy Colt 45 Pistol. W.A.T.C.H. says toy guns like this can be mistaken for real weapons and can lead to tragic outcomes.
World Against Toys Causing Harm, Inc.
Another toy making the “worst list” is the Kinetic Sand Scents kit which consists of sand-based “ice cream treats” of various flavors. It comes with tools to “scoop & serve,” as well as a warning of “do not eat.” W.A.T.C.H. says this poses a potential for ingestion injuries.
And then there’s the Wubble Rumblers Fists. W.A.T.C.H. says they pose a risk for blunt force and impact injuries.
“Our goal with the ‘10 worst toys’ list is to help families make informed choices and keep kids safe,” Joan Siff, president of W.A.T.C.H., said in a statement. “Toy safety is about stopping potentially unsafe products from reaching children in the first place.”
So, while the kids are making their toy lists, parents are advised to check what other lists those toys may be on before heading out to battle the crowds this holiday season.
