02:43 PM EDT, 08/22/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Amazon.com ( AMZN ) and its delivery service provider are joint employers based on National Labor Relations Board Region 31's "merit determinations" on unfair labor practice allegations in Palmdale, California, a spokesperson for the labor board told MT Newswires in a statement.

This potentially set up the stage for Amazon ( AMZN ) delivery drivers across the US to organize with Teamsters, the union said Thursday.

"Amazon ( AMZN ) drivers have taken their future into their own hands and won a monumental determination that makes clear Amazon ( AMZN ) has a legal obligation to bargain with its drivers over their working conditions," Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said in a statement.

The NLRB determined that Amazon ( AMZN ) and its delivery service provider Battle Tested Strategies, or BTS, are joint employers, who "unlawfully failed and refused to bargain with the union over effects of the decision to terminate the BTS contract, eliminate or transfer unit work, and terminate all unionized employees," the agency's spokesperson told MT Newswires, adding that "Amazon ( AMZN ) made unlawful threats, held captive audience meetings, and failed and refused to furnish relevant information to the union."

These "merit determinations" on three unfair labor practice charges filed by Teamsters against Amazon ( AMZN ) and BTS are not a "Board decision or ruling" but rather "the first step in the NLRB's general counsel litigating the allegations after investigating an unfair labor practice charge," the spokesperson added.

The NLRB's regional director in Region 31 will issue a complaint on the allegations against Amazon ( AMZN ) and BTS unless a settlement is reached, the agency's spokesperson told MT Newswires.

"As we have said all along, there is no merit to the Teamsters' claims. If and when the agency decides it wants to litigate the remaining allegations, we expect they will be dismissed as well," an Amazon ( AMZN ) spokesperson said in an email to MT Newswires.

Shares of Amazon ( AMZN ) were down 1.5% in recent trading.

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