Amazon Warehouse Workers Around the World Are Striking For Prime Day (qz.com) 126
Amazon workers around the world are going on strike today to bring attention to the working conditions they endure. "Some are arguing that buying from Amazon during Prime Day is akin to crossing a picket line," reports Quartz. From the report: As the two-day bacchanal of discounted Amazon offerings begins, workers at its fulfillment centers around the U.S. continue to complain of extremely odious quotas, limited bathroom breaks, mandatory holiday shifts, and the need for pain medication just to get through their 10-hour work days.
The U.S.: Workers at a Shakopee, Minnesota fulfillment center will be walking out during a six-hour period that overlaps with the end of the facility's morning shift and the start of its evening shift. There are about 1,500 full-time employees at the facility, according to the Daily Beast.
Germany: Hundreds of employees at seven facilities will be striking today and tomorrow, over longstanding issues with employee pay. âoeWhile Amazon holds a giant Prime-Day bargain hunt, employees are deprived of a living wage,â Orhan Akman, a representative from the German labor union Ver.di, said in a statement shared with Quartz.
The UK: The GMB trade union will be staging protests at Amazon facilities across the country. Some of the most shocking accounts issues of issues faced by Amazon warehouse workers have come out of the UK. One undercover writer said they witnessed co-workers urinating in bottles to avoid missing quotas by taking bathroom breaks.
Elsewhere in Europe: Workers in Spain and Poland will also be organizing demonstrations at Amazon facilities across their countries throughout the week. Here's what Amazon had to say about the demonstrations and walkouts: "Events like Prime Day have become an opportunity for our critics, including unions, to raise awareness for their cause, in this case, increased membership dues. These groups are conjuring misinformation to work in their favor, when in fact we already offer the things they purport to be their cause -- industry leading pay (full-time employees at our Shakopee facility make $16.25 - $20.80), benefits, and a safe workplace for our employees. We can only conclude that the people who plan to attend the event on Monday are simply not informed. If these groups -- unions and the politicians they rally to their cause -- really want to help the American worker, we encourage them to focus their energy on passing legislation for an increase in the federal minimum wage, because $7.25 is too low."
The U.S.: Workers at a Shakopee, Minnesota fulfillment center will be walking out during a six-hour period that overlaps with the end of the facility's morning shift and the start of its evening shift. There are about 1,500 full-time employees at the facility, according to the Daily Beast.
Germany: Hundreds of employees at seven facilities will be striking today and tomorrow, over longstanding issues with employee pay. âoeWhile Amazon holds a giant Prime-Day bargain hunt, employees are deprived of a living wage,â Orhan Akman, a representative from the German labor union Ver.di, said in a statement shared with Quartz.
The UK: The GMB trade union will be staging protests at Amazon facilities across the country. Some of the most shocking accounts issues of issues faced by Amazon warehouse workers have come out of the UK. One undercover writer said they witnessed co-workers urinating in bottles to avoid missing quotas by taking bathroom breaks.
Elsewhere in Europe: Workers in Spain and Poland will also be organizing demonstrations at Amazon facilities across their countries throughout the week. Here's what Amazon had to say about the demonstrations and walkouts: "Events like Prime Day have become an opportunity for our critics, including unions, to raise awareness for their cause, in this case, increased membership dues. These groups are conjuring misinformation to work in their favor, when in fact we already offer the things they purport to be their cause -- industry leading pay (full-time employees at our Shakopee facility make $16.25 - $20.80), benefits, and a safe workplace for our employees. We can only conclude that the people who plan to attend the event on Monday are simply not informed. If these groups -- unions and the politicians they rally to their cause -- really want to help the American worker, we encourage them to focus their energy on passing legislation for an increase in the federal minimum wage, because $7.25 is too low."
And no one cares. (Score:5, Interesting)
Some people care... (Score:5, Insightful)
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Dilbert nailed it (Score:2, Funny)
Clicky [dilbert.com]
Or copypastey: https://dilbert.com/strip/1994-08-02
This is why I shop a Amazon.
You know... (Score:1, Insightful)
In the US, Germany, the UK and Spain (AFAIK), there is no indentured servitude... if you're not making enough dinero, or working conditions are what you consider to be substandard, do something else. There is almost certainly a convenience store clerk or waiter who'd rather have your salary and benefits.
This job offers this much pay and benefits for this desired workload. You don't have to take it.
Re: You know... (Score:1)
You do realize that they pay $16-20 an hour + benefits..... that $7.25 is what the government says is minimum. Amazon pays 2-3x that plus benefits.
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I find it completely shocking that Amazon would pay a college graduate only $16 an hour. What's that you say, these aren't college graduates? Well there's the problem... There isn't any high school in the country where a diligent student can't get good enough grades to apply for state college and get student loans, grants, or even scholarship. Or there are plenty of good paying trades, like electrician, plumber, mechanic, truck driver, etc. Maybe it just needs to be explained better that 'unskilled labor' =
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This idea that these jobs are only for kids/college students is silly. The only jobs that I know of that are actual student jobs have specific start and end dates, employers know these employees are leaving. But a lot of job
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Stupid american
Which is it Amazon? (Score:1, Insightful)
Workers in Shakopee get $16-21 per hour. Okay, so far so good.
Then you say "don't pick on us, it's because minimum wage is too low at $7.25. Fix that."
Connect the dots: there are places where Amazon is paying only minimum wage.
Amazon can always pay more. So why don't they? (Duh, because they can.)
What does fixing the minimum wage have to do with Amazon paying a living wage? (Answer: nothing.)
Amazon can just stop being assholes and start paying living wages.
And yes, we need to fix the minimum wage.
Re:Which is it Amazon? (Score:5, Insightful)
Also, a huge federal minimum wage hike would the biggest gift to Amazon that you could imagine. Who's going to survive that better, the huge international billion dollar company that can automate more and more, or the smaller remaining mom and pop type stores or regional chain stores. Amazon can absorb any shock caused by sudden cost increases, but their competitors can't. In the end, Amazon just passes the increased cost along to consumers and enjoys the decrease in competition.
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I believe that Amazon currently pays each and every employee a bare minimum of $15 per hour.
Of course, as you have pointed out, not all employees are full time.
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Really? You have a news citation for that?
Because I do about the Amazon $15/hour thing.
It happened near the end of last year. Pretty sure that there was even a Slashdot article about it.
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Re:Which is it Amazon? (Score:4, Insightful)
If you don't like the pay/job/work/conditions go finish fucking high school and get a better job.
Where I work ditch diggers are demanding better wages than secretaries, etc. How can you expect to do a job that anyone can do and expect to get the same pay as a highly qualified office worker? So now they don't hire ditch diggers, they hire a backhoe, with one guy who is qualified to operate said backhoe, and now we have 20 ditch diggers sitting without jobs. Well done ditch diggers. Oh wait, if you have a ditch digger who doesn't dig ditches is he still a ditch digger? Or just another unemployed idiot?
My sister works at a large food retail company, every fucking year around Christmas time (a big holiday where we are) they go on strike for... more money, better working conditions, a BMW whatever, so they are in the process of automating their jobs away. So instead of 200 people doing menial labor any idiot can do, they will have 5 highly technical people maintain the robots that replaced them.
You want to earn more money? Work harder, study more, and become one of those 5 highly technical people. If you can't (or won't) then be prepared to be unemployed.
My wife was stuck in her job, couldn't afford to pay for the studies to advance her career. So she worked 3 jobs, stopped buying shit she didn't need, paid for the night courses and studied her ass off, and got out the rut. I can't stand people who expect everything to be handed to them, who aren't willing to work for the money they think they deserve for doing shit that anyone can do.
Or, you can just be fucking grateful you have a job, and then do your job, and do it well. I get that not everyone has the acumen to become those "5 highly technical people" but then don't expect to get paid the same, life isn't fair, we don't all get to live the same "American" dream, so stop trying to live the "American" dream and stop buying crap you don't fucking need.
And no, a Playstation is not a NEED.
You NEED to eat, shit and breathe (not specifically in that order) everything else is a luxury.
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I would *like* to say that the operating theory runs something like this:
Everyone deserves the same level of providence from the society they live in. Some people are naturally motivated to study and get specialized jobs, other people are motivated to do simple jobs, and still others are motived to do jobs that most people hate. So, if everyone is free from the need for money, then they will pursue these motivations, and productivity needs will all be met.
But, this isn't actually the operating theory. Th
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Why should someone who literally carries a box from point A to point B get the same salary as...
This really is a nice post. A clear example of necro-liberalism if taken at face value. Maybe it actually is ironic ? I take the POV of "no" in this answer. Each point can be re-coined as an uncanny question. Examples.
Why should someone who literally carries a box from point A to point B get the same salary as...
> Why should someone contributing to the wealth of an organisation not get some fair share of it in return ? Whether carrying box or peeing liquid gold could be considered as irrelevant.
> The post is creating a job "importance" hierarchy. Though it is confusing importance with initial
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> Why should someone who literally carries a box from point A to point B get the same salary as someone who had to study and get a varsity degree, and then work off his student debt and finally work his way up the ladder until he was making enough money to buy the flashy car.
BECAUSE: all humans have an inherent equal value (not monetory value).
- Certainly we come in various shapes with various strengths and weaknesses. Literally: Not everyone can have the highest intellect. Is it o.k. to delegat
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This you say is more true than "trickle down economy".
Supply & demand: Allow me to cherry pick a bit: Would you rather* work as a programmer or at a grocery store? As a network configurator or Amazon store worker? IT job or ride the garbage vagon?
*Assuming a person has the aptitude/skills, of course.
I am pretty sure people's interest for all things computer won't wane if the wages are more or less equalised.
I admit: I am sure one can find examples where your claim is true: If the pay was normalized then
Re:Which is it Amazon? (Score:5, Insightful)
And yes, we need to fix the minimum wage.
It's going to fix itself. Just not the way you might like.
The minimum wage always has been and always will be zero dollars. I remember in university as an engineering student that those outside engineering were astonished I got paid for my internship. Are there still unpaid internships? I doubt it. Maybe there are but the labor laws made this far more difficult. What has happened is that companies offer "on site education" where they don't call it an internship, but they do the same things as an intern did in the past, but now the students pay the companies offering this "not-an-internship". There, no more unpaid internships. All better now?
Then comes the more menial work. People aren't paid by the hour, they are paid on the production. They get to keep their job so long as they meet a minimum rate of whatever it is they are "contracted" to do. It's not a job, it's a contract. So they get paid based on how many boxes they stack, the area of lawn they mow, the number of clients they make happy, or whatever. This can mean an income far lower than current minimum wage if computed in dollars per hour.
Some jobs have been simply eliminated because it's far easier to automate. Fast food restaurants in some locations don't have cashiers any more, they have a walk up kiosk of sorts where a customer punches in their order. In the food preparation areas there's machines that automatically cook many of the food items. There's still people at the restaurant but they manage the machines mostly. When it comes to end of day cleanup they have a cleaning crew come in that has contracted to several restaurants for this service. Instead of having the cashiers mop the floor at the end of the day it's someone hired to mop floors all night in perhaps a dozen different places. That's if there isn't a Roomba like device to clean the floors for them.
What does this mean for those perfectly willing and able to work for a lower than minimum wage? They don't work, or they end up as an unpaid volunteer somewhere to hopefully build a resume for a paying job elsewhere someday. Maybe they have to pay someone else for this work experience, because just not paying them makes it an "internship" under the law and that makes it complicated and therefore expensive.
I've actually seen debates on if people volunteering for work getting a meal and a T-shirt as appreciation for their efforts makes them paid employees. If they were then that's a violation of the minimum wage law. What's the fix for that then? No food and no T-shirt.
The minimum wage laws will fix themselves, we started seeing the fixes long ago.
What's wrong with them not working? (Score:2)
It's already been shown that 8 hours a week is enough to make people feel satisfied they have a job, so we can't fall back on "Idle hands are the devil's plaything".
When I was a kid there was a cartoon called the Jetsons where the Hu
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The overwhelming majority of workers making minimim wage are under 25 years old. Most of them are living with their parents. Thus sayeth the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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So you think your anecdote outweighs the statistics? That, combined with your written communication skills, goes a long way in explaining your situation.
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Instead of making stuff up, you could spend 3 seconds looking up the facts. Amazon pays every US employee $15/hr or more: https://www.usatoday.com/story... [usatoday.com]
Unionized? (Score:5, Interesting)
Are Amazon's warehouse workers unionized?
If not (pretty sure they aren't), they are taking a big gamble. Amazon can just say, "Guess what, don't come into work, you're fired. We have 30494282093 other applications standing by."
Unionize or go home. Wasting your time.
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We have 30494282093 other applications standing by."
... except they don't. Unemployment is low. Labor markets are tight. Amazon would have difficulty replacing and training hundreds of workers in a single location.
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because of retarded socialists who can't comprehend that low skilled labor can and will be automated or outsourced if the price of labor goes up.
Most socialists understand this and it motivates many to be socialists because in the face of this some provision for people who cannot get jobs is required, such as access to healthcare independent of employment status.
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Don't know about the other places, but in Germany, they are. Hardly anyone would go on strike in Germany if they weren't unionized, if only for the strike pay, which some of those on strike will need to get by throughout the month.
But that is why comparably few people are unionized especially in workplaces with low wages, too – the union dues in Germany are 1% of gross wages, which many simply can't afford.
At Amazon, union density is rather low, too, which is why it's always just a minority of workers
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Amazon is poorly managed in several ways. (Score:1)
It's difficult being a billionaire. What do you do with the money? Why not pay employees more? That would make Amazon easier to manage.
Jeff Bezos & family [forbes.com] are the richest in the world.
Would you fly into near space with Blue Origin [blueorigin.com], owned by Jeff Bezos? Does Blue Origin have the same level of managem
Maybe... (Score:1, Redundant)
...their time would be more productively spent trying to find some other no-qualification minimum wage job that has all the things they're insisting they "deserve"....ie none.
I think Amazon missed a beat not simply firing them all.
There are great lines of people behind them interested in working at Amazon.
Amazon raised wages to $15 1 year ago. (Score:1, Informative)
Before October of last year, they were paying less. And when they raised the wage to $15 the stopped giving bonuses and stock grants, so they didn't actually provide a raise.
Warehouse work is stressful (quotas), health-impacting (on your feet for long hours and repetitive stress injuries), and TEDIOUS. Amazon has a reputation for firing over trivial things and other bad management.
This strike news brightened my day.
Alternate headline: (Score:3)
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Seriously. It's a fucking McJob, just quit if you think working there is really that awful.
Wait, I thought the economy was doing great? (Score:2)
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This. At least all the soon-to-be-open positions and Amazon might just give those not-so-whiny a chance to work there instead.
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Re:They complain about 10-hour work days? (Score:5, Insightful)
So your argument is, "I have a shitty job, so everybody else should, too?"
Re: They complain about 10-hour work days? (Score:3)
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Clearly you have not worked in I.T.
I've slept under desks to get a couple hours sleep in some semblance of shade from the office lights on cushions stolen from the visiting lounge couches, for over 2 fucking years with only 4 days off a month, some of those projects have been BRUTAL so don't come whining about your luxurious working conditions. I may not have had to pick up boxes, but
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Y2k was bad where there was insufficient IT staff. I did the Y2k report for the company I was working for at the time, and it was cake. Lalalalala
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10 hours behind a desk and 10 hours on your feet is quite a difference. Also in Germany it is not legal to work more than 10 hours for a reason. Workers are humans. They have rights and they shall not be screwed over. Unfortunately, Amazon thinks they can get away with it. So workers have to organize.
And if YOUR job is shitty too, well form a union. BTW. 20 days of payed vacation is mandatory. I have 30.