Pressure is building on Amazon.com to come to the bargaining table with the Teamsters union as thousands of workers threaten to strike during the retailer's busy holiday selling season.

Workers in New York City, southern California and Skokie, Illinois, voted in recent days to authorise a strike should Amazon fail to bargain with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. On Wednesday (Dec 19), the union said workers at Amazon facilities in Atlanta and in San Francisco joined in favour of striking.

The union has threatened to call a walkout at any time.

The Teamsters, which claim to represent 10,000 US Amazon workers at 10 facilities, have said Amazon has ignored their requests to meet to reach a contract, despite setting a Dec 15 deadline.

With over 700,000 workers at around 1,000 warehouses scattered around the US, a strike is unlikely to cripple Amazon's operations, but such a walkout in the final few days before Christmas could create supply chain hiccups and send a signal that the Teamsters intend to inflict financial harm.

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