Amazon workers are calling for a walkout on 1 October 2026, with employees on Reddit being urged to use their own Unpaid Personal Time (UPT) to leave their shifts as part of a coordinated protest over pay, safety and job security.
A post titled "The October First Strikes - Save Your UPT!" appeared on the r/AmazonFCs subreddit on 26 September and was still attracting discussion from Amazon workers on 28 September.
"If you have UPT to spare, even if it's 15 minutes you can make a huge difference in joining," the post says.
Amazon Workers Told to 'Save Your UPT'
The unusual part of the proposed action is its reliance on UPT. Amazon's Unpaid Personal Time system allows eligible employees to take unpaid time away from work, subject to the company's policies. The Reddit campaign encourages workers to deliberately preserve some of that time so they can use it during the 1 October action.
The post says workers with even a small amount of UPT could participate, potentially allowing employees who cannot afford to miss an entire shift to take part.
It also lists a wide range of warehouse roles that could potentially participate, including workers in logistics, loading, picking, packing, inventory and other fulfilment operations.
What Are Amazon Workers Demanding?
'We're striking the low pay raise in September. With rising Cost of Living, Gas, Rent, Groceries and Utilities we can't making a decent living anymore with stagnant or negative wage compensation. We need $30 an hour more than ever, it starts now. We also are seeking better security and safety protocols at work and a better system set up for time excusal for severe weather incidents, last but not least we want a 5% match for 5% 401k contribution' the post reads.
The demands come as Amazon continues to expand its use of technology and automation across its logistics network, while workers have continued to raise concerns about working conditions and performance expectations.
Amazon Has Just Raised US Worker Pay
The proposed walkout comes shortly after Amazon announced higher pay for its US core operations workforce. Amazon said in September that minimum starting pay for full-time US core operations employees would rise to $20 an hour, while average hourly pay would reach nearly $24. The company said the changes represented an investment of more than $1.5 billion.
Amazon has also announced new employee benefits, including discounts on Whole Foods purchases.
The timing makes the $30-an-hour demand particularly notable, as the proposed worker campaign is seeking a substantially higher rate than Amazon's newly announced minimum starting wage.
Amazon Workers Are Already Organising Labour Actions
The 1 October Reddit campaign would not be the first recent labour action involving Amazon workers. Earlier in September, Amazon Teamsters at the company's DJT6 facility in Riverside, California, carried out a one-day unfair labour practice strike. The Teamsters said the facility is Amazon's largest warehouse in the US and accused the company of retaliation against workers campaigning for improved workplace safety. That action was organised through a recognised union.
"Amazon thinks it can trample workers' rights with no consequences, but Amazon Teamsters at DJT6 are proving them wrong," Randy Korgan, Director of the Teamsters Amazon Division and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 1932, said at the time in a statement. "Amazon has ignored the law for long enough. If this multitrillion-dollar company won't listen to workers on the job, then we will make it listen to us on the streets."
Workers Debate Whether the October 1 Walkout Will Work
Discussion underneath the Reddit post is far from unanimous. Some Amazon workers have backed the idea, while others have questioned whether using UPT is worth the potential consequences. Some commenters argued that workers could exhaust their available UPT without having enough participation to force Amazon to respond.
Others suggested that coordinated action could put pressure on Amazon if enough workers across different departments and facilities participate simultaneously.
"I'm 15 minutes late everyday already so I been striking," one person wrote. Another said: "This is a pointless waste of time. We absolutely deserve to be making more than we do but this is not how strikes work. You don't just skip a day of work. You refuse to work until change occurs. Skipping a day just takes massive amounts of upt from people than may need that time for emergencies."
Whether the campaign develops into a significant labour action will depend on how many employees actually take part when shifts begin on 1 October.
