The Teamsters union says workers at seven facilities will walk off the job Thursday morning. It's an attempt to pressure the e-commerce giant for a labor agreement during the key holiday shopping period.

The Teamsters said the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history started at 6.a.m. EST Thursday in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Skokie, Illinois.

The Teamsters union, which represents the striking workers, said Amazon had refused to come to the bargaining table to discuss better wages and work conditions.

The Teamsters have argued Amazon essentially controls everything the drivers do and should be classified as an employer. Some U.S. labor regulators have sided with the union in filings made before the NLRB. In September, Amazon boosted pay for the drivers amid the growing pressure.

Thousands of workers will walk off the job on Thursday morning, in the crucial final days of the holiday season, after union officials said the retailer failed to come to the bargaining table to negotiate contracts.

Teamsters are on strike outside the Amazon warehouse in Maspeth, Queens. It comes less than a week before Christmas, but Amazon insists operations will not be impacted. Trucks were still rolling from the warehouse late Wednesday night,

(Reuters) -Amazon.com workers at seven U.S. facilities walked off the job early on Thursday during the holiday shopping rush, aiming to pressure the retailer into contract talks with their union. Warehouse workers in cities including New York,

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said workers in Atlanta, New York City, California and Illinois plan to join the picket line.

The Teamsters said the strike at seven facilities is the largest ever against Amazon. But the retailer doesn't anticipated a slowdown to deliveries.