Saskatoon Amazon delivery drivers strike over falling pay, working conditions

Dozens of Amazon Prime Delivery drivers across central Saskatchewan walked off the job Friday morning to protest declining wages. Keenan Sorokan reports.

Dozens of drivers responsible for delivering packages on behalf of Amazon walked off the job Friday to protest decreasing pay and challenging working conditions.

“The pay rate just goes down to 50 per cent,” delivery driver Abdur Talha said. “We were shocked. Every other Monday they are just reducing.”

The drivers deliver packages for Dragonfly, the major third-party delivery partner for Amazon in Canada responsible for the final step of delivering packages in major cities across the country, previously known as Intelcom.

On Friday, roughly 60 drivers in Saskatoon stood outside the company’s warehouse on Jasper Avenue refusing to work after learning of another pay decrease. Drivers say they have been subject to small decreases ranging from a few per cent to five per cent nearly every pay period dating back to September.

Many drivers speaking to CTV News on Friday say they’ve been told they will be fired for protesting as the independent broker companies responsible for delivery drivers look to honour contracts where deliveries must be made within three days.

“Enough is enough. We are here so management should hear us,” Talha said.

Drivers say the working conditions and expectations aren’t matching the compensation. Drivers are paid per delivery with wages increasing as the parcels get heavier. These independent contractors are responsible for providing their own vehicle and fuel for the vehicle. They simply say as costs on their end increase, they’re seeing a reduction in pay with little to no incentives.

“They just increase our workload, but they are reducing the price when we are not getting anything out of it,” Guriqubal Singh said.

• Get the latest news from Saskatoon, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

Drivers told CTV News they make an average of $150 a day before taxes and brokerage commissions are deducted. With no supports and little movement from management, they’re seeking to unionize to further their fight for additional workers’ rights. However, many fear they will not make it through the weekend before they are fired, with quick turnover becoming common.

One driver says he was fired on the spot in front of the group Friday morning for participating in the protest. That same driver says delivering to farther places like Melfort or Prince Albert is also challenging as drivers are given dozens more parcels to deliver on similar timeframes to decrease the number of drivers sent on the highway. Drivers say road conditions aren’t considered by their bosses, and these trips can result in a driver getting home at midnight.

The same driver who was fired in front of his colleagues Friday says he was bitten by a dog on a trip to Prince Albert and was not given any time to seek medical attention and was told to keep delivering packages. When a package he delivered was stolen after he left, he was penalized.

“Who decreases pay?” Prince Kumar said. “It’s inflation everywhere -- grocery prices -- everything is going up. We get low pay. There is nothing in our hand.”

Kumar says drivers aren’t looking for the company to undo months of decreases and restore compensation per package to its rates from the fall. So far, talks haven’t been productive with management as drivers look to put pressure on Dragonfly knowing it is contractually obligated to Amazon to have some of the parcels delivered in as little as three days, making any delay significant.

Singh says replacing dozens of drivers so quickly is unlikely.

“They are coming to us (saying), ‘we will give you a top-up,’” he said. “They are just giving us lollipops. We don’t want that.”

Drivers say at this time of year roughly 15,000 packages are arriving at the warehouse daily.

In a statement to CTV News, Dragonfly says it is aware of the situation involving delivery drivers in Saskatoon, but stressed it is not responsible for the drivers.

“Dragonfly does not directly employ delivery drivers. Deliveries are carried out by independent delivery companies that employ their own drivers and are responsible for their compensation and employment practices,” the statement read.

“While we set operational expectations and service standards, responsibility for driver pay rests with those companies, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. We recognize the important role drivers play in the delivery ecosystem and remain in dialogue with our delivery partners to better understand the situation and ensure continuity of service for consumers.”