Amazon workers hold Black Friday protest in Joliet

JOLIET, Ill. — Amazon workers and activists held protests and strikes across 40 countries on Black Friday this year, including at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Joliet.

The goal for those who participated was to draw attention to workers’ issues on one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

“I’ve been working at Amazon for three years. I think it’s about time that they start paying their workers, they start paying for the damage that they’re doing to the climate, and they start paying their fair share of taxes,” said Drew Duzinskas, a picker at the Joliet Amazon facility. “Especially considering how much tax money they get to set up shop.”

In Joliet, workers are demanding a fair increase in wages to match the more than $120 billion Amazon brought in during the second quarter of this year.

“Union workers and union pay helps support generational wealth for black and brown and bipoc communities and that’s an issue,” said Christine Bright from Will County Progressives. “These are not living wage jobs at all.”

An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement that it is investing significantly in areas where walkouts are taking place and that the company continues to offer competitive wages and benefits.