Amazon boosts pay for subcontracted delivery drivers amid union pressure

AP Business Writer

Amazon is giving a pay boost to its subcontracted delivery drivers amid growing union pressure. The company announced Thursday that drivers who work with its Delivery Service Partners will earn an average of nearly $22 per hour, a 7% bump from before. The wage increase is part of a new $2.1 billion investment the online retailer is making in the program, which powers millions of customer deliveries every day. The announcement comes as U.S. labor regulators are putting more scrutiny on Amazon’s business model, which has put a layer of separation between the company and drivers who are seen its ubiquitous gray-blue vans.