Amazon boosts pay for subcontracted delivery drivers amid union pressure [Video]

Amazon is giving another pay boost to its subcontracted delivery drivers in the U.S. amid growing union pressure.

Drivers who work with Amazon’s Delivery Service Partners, or DSPs, will earn an average of nearly $22 per hour, a 7% bump from the previous average of $20.50, the company said Thursday.

The increase in wages is part of a new $2.1 billion investment the Seattle-based online retailer is making in the delivery program. Amazon doesn’t directly employ drivers but relies on thousands of third-party businesses that deliver millions of customer packages every day.

The company also gave a pay bump to U.S. drivers last year. Last week, it also said it would increase wages for front-line workers in the United Kingdom by 9.8% or more.

Amazon said the DSP program has created 390,000 driving jobs since 2018 and its total investments of $12 billion since then will help with safety programs and provide incentives for participating businesses.

U.S. labor regulators are putting more scrutiny on Amazon’s business model, …