New Jersey sues Amazon on antitrust grounds, alleging it unlawfully wielded its power over delivery contractors

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced on Tuesday that she's suing Amazon on antitrust grounds, alleging the online retailer abuses its power over third-party delivery contractors to suppress competition and harm workers.Amazon prevents delivery workers from unionizing, restricts contractors in its delivery network from hiring each other's drivers, and limits competition for their labor, leading to lower wages and causing employees to "endure harsher working conditions than they should," Davenport's office said in a release."As our complaint alleges, Amazon built a company worth trillions while subjecting drivers in its delivery network to artificially low pay and punishing working conditions thanks to its overwhelming power in the labor market," Davenport said in a statement. Representatives from Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.Since 2018, Amazon has operated its delivery service partner program, which relies on a network of thousands of small contracted companies to handle last-mile delivery of packages from the company's warehouses to shoppers' doorsteps. It's allowed Amazon to reduce its reliance on major carriers like UPS and FedEx,...