The Long STruggLe of the AmAzon employees - Laboratoy of resistAnce - interim Assessment And prospects for uniOn ORGAniSinG ATTHe globAl e-commerce leAder in germAny And europe

Sep 14, 2026

For more than three years, Amazon employees have continued to fight for a collective agreement, drawing on strike actions that surpass 100 strike days and illustrate resistance in the low-wage sector against a global corporation. The study frames the Amazon conflict as a “laboratory of resistance,” highlighting lessons from resistance to low wages and precarious employment in Germany and from confrontations with the corporation across European sites. It emphasizes transnational networking and exchange of experiences as key conditions for successful cross-border action.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages70

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

IntroductIon

laboratory of resistance

ratcheting up the pressure

AmAzon: An AggressIve trendsetter

Fulfillment centers – the new service factories

A conflict with far-reaching implications

AmAzon In europe: the sAme corporAtIon, but dIfferent condItIons for trAde unIons

preliminary assessment and prospects for collaboration between trade unions in europe

strIke ActIon At AmAzon: ver.dI’s long mArch

preparations

from bad hersfeld to nationwide industrial action

Jörn Boewe Johannes schulten The Long STruggLe of the AmAzon employees lAborAtory of resistAnce: interim Assessment And prospects for union orgAnising Atthe globAl e-commerce leAder in germAny And europe Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, Brussels Office 11 avenue Michel-Ange 1000 Brussels, Belgium [www.rosalux.eu](www.rosalux.eu) legally responsible person Dr Martin Schirdewan Brussels, January 2017 Authors Jörn Boewe – Johannes Schulten design & illustration Mélanie Heddrich production HDMH sprl cover photo Hubert Thiermeyer photos Dietrich Hackenberg Funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. JöRn BOewe JOHAnneS ScHu LTen The Long STruggLe of The AmAzon empLoyeeS LABORATORy OF ReSiSTAnce: inTeRiM ASSeSSMenT AnD pROSpecTS FOR uniOn ORGAniSinG ATTHe GLOBAL e-cOMMeRce LeADeR in GeRMAny AnD euROpe brussels, January 2017 eDiTORS’ pReFAce for more than three years, including well over 100 strike days, the employees at Amazon continue to fight for a collective agreement. Although the labour dispute has still not been won, it exemplifies the struggle of employees in the low-wage sector against a global corporation. the authors of this study argue that the conflict at Amazon has become a ‘laboratory of resistance ’. important lessons have been learned, not only with respect to resistance against low wages and precarious employment in germany, but also in terms of the conflict with the corporation at its other sites in europe. Amazon takes an extremely anti-union stance at those sites too, but trade union resistance is likewise forming there. transnational networking of the employees – which, as the first step, should be europewide at the minimum – and dialogue about experiences in the various countries are a vital precondition for a successful, cross-border fight. As the rosa-luxemburg-stiftung, we have supported this labour dispute for some time now because of its exemplary significance. Amazon employees from germany who are actively involved in the industrial action have repeatedly made use of conferences in the ‘Renewal Through Strike ’ series to exchange experiences and establish links with one another. the ‘Solidarity Across Borders ’ event held by the rosa-luxemburg-stiftung in berlin on 3 october 2015 provided a framework for the exchange of experiences about various forms of resistance. colleagues from germany, poland, france and spain reflected on their experiences and strategies and, in a workshop on the following day, explored the possibilities of intensifying networking efforts. however, the rosa-luxemburg-stiftung event is by no means intended to replace european Amazon network, which brings together trade unionists from the french cgt, the british gmb, the czech ospo, the german ver.di and the polish solidarność under the aegis of the uni global union. on the contrary, it is designed to provide the opportunity for more in-depth dialogue to supplement the existing networking possibilities. the uni Amazon networking meetings are where Amazon trade union networking in europe really takes place, and we are delighted that the uni secretary general philip Jennings has contributed a foreword to this publication. this study is the result of intensive research by the journalists Jörn boewe and Johannes schulten on the structures of the Amazon corporate group and about both the experiences of trade union resistance in germany and the prospects for cross-border industrial action by the Amazon employees. that research is based, among other things, on a series of interviews with Amazon strike activists and participation in a number of trade union meetings as well as the Amazon event held by the rosa-luxemburg-stiftung in march 2016. since then, more than 6,000 copies of the german-language, first edition of the ‘the long struggle of the Amazon employees’ [‘der lange Kampf der Amazon beschäftigten’] pamphlet, which was published in december 2015, have been distributed. the publication has been

FAQs

What is the central idea of the study about the Amazon labor dispute?

The authors describe the conflict at Amazon as a “laboratory of resistance,” offering lessons not only about low wages and precarious employment in Germany but also about resistance across Europe.

Why is cross-border networking emphasized for union organizing?

The text highlights transnational networking and dialogue about experiences in different countries as essential preconditions for a successful, cross-border struggle.

How has the study been shared and updated for broader European union audiences?

A German-language first edition was widely distributed and discussed during events tied to the strike actions, and this revised, updated English version aims to make findings accessible to trade unionists in other European countries.

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Jordan Avery