Chicago Teamsters Push to Outlaw Amazon Subcontracting Model

The proposed ordinance, introduced by 12th District Alderwoman Julia Ramirez, targets the Delivery Service Partner model that currently defines Amazon’s logistics operations in Chicago. If enacted, the legislation would mandate that delivery companies license their local facilities and classify their entire workforce as direct employees, effectively rendering the current subcontracted delivery structure illegal within city limits.

Supporters point to recent legislative momentum in New York City as a blueprint for the campaign. In New York, a similar version of the Delivery Protection Act secured a supermajority of support from the City Council and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Chicago rally, scheduled for noon at City Hall, brings together the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Chicago Federation of Labor, and Chicago Jobs with Justice to pressure the council toward a final vote. For the organizers, the goal is to shift the legal burden of labor standards back onto the logistics giants themselves, stripping away the layers of corporate separation that have long insulated Amazon from direct oversight.