A proposed class action by a former Amazon delivery driver says the company's delivery setup was designed to depress driver wages nationwide.
The suit, filed in the Northern District of California, contends that Amazon's fast-shipping model imposed a steep burden on the people making the company's deliveries.
Here's what to know
According to Top Class Actions, the complaint targets Amazon.com Inc., Amazon.com Services LLC, and Amazon Logistics Inc., alleging they used Amazon's Delivery Service Partner, or DSP, network as part of an unlawful scheme to hold down pay.
After working delivery routes in Stockton and Manteca, the former California DSP driver alleges that Amazon used its Delivery Service Partners to create what he calls a "grim monopsony." The complaint describes those partners as horizontally oriented companies that deliver for Amazon.
The plaintiff is seeking to represent a nationwide class of Amazon DSP drivers, plus several regional subclasses. The lawsuit also says Amazon's grip on last-mile delivery left drivers doing the work of bringing massive amounts of household goods to customers while receiving "bottom of the barrel" pay.
More background
Citing what it calls Amazon's "outsized market power in labor markets by virtue of its need to deliver a virtually endless supply of household goods," the plaintiff says the company can pay DSP drivers less than comparable workers. It also portrays the job as punishing, stating, "DSP drivers themselves have called their working conditions 'atrocities' because they must meet inhumane demands like urinating in water bottles to satisfy inhuman delivery requirements."
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Through the case, the plaintiff wants the court to assess whether Amazon's DSP model illegally limited competition for delivery labor and pushed wages down nationwide.
If the case advances, it may bring added scrutiny to one of the nation's most prominent delivery operations. As the complaint puts it, "Amazon does not fear that its DSP drivers will leave to work for other employers, [so] it does not have to improve their compensation or working conditions."
Where can I learn more?
These stories look at other Amazon disputes, including lawsuits, Amazon Basics products, and contested infrastructure projects.
• In the U.K., customers and sellers hit Amazon with multibillion-dollar market manipulation lawsuits.
• A class action says deceptive claims on Amazon Basics misled shoppers about product impacts.
• In drought-stricken Tucson, pushing controversial data center plans sparked backlash tied to Amazon.
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