Community Chat

[Spurt]

AMAZON WORKERS PROTEST UNSAFE WORKING CONDITIONS.....

by NBC News Channel

Sunday, August 2nd 2020

Amazon workers and supporters got behind the wheel for a car caravan protest. The caravan kicked off Saturday in San Leandro, California.

The final destination was the Amazon warehouse, where workers say working conditions are not safe. Demonstrators want the warehouse and vans shut down for cleaning for two weeks, starting immediately.

Organizers say the company, and state leaders are not listening to reports of unsafe working conditions. “They're not being heard in regards to complaints and on the state level they don't feel heard or protected by the people our tax dollars pay to protect our health. To hold these folks accountable,” said Carlos Gabriel, Tesla Worker in Solidarity with Amazon Workers.

Amazon says it already has in place many of the protesters' demands. If someone is exposed to COVID-19 or has a note from a doctor, they receive paid leave.

They have also doubled the janitorial staff at all facilities.

[Kachina624]

The real truth probably lies somewhere between.  Workers tend to exaggerate their grieviences while managent tends to downplay them.

[Porcelain]

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@Spurt wrote:

AMAZON WORKERS PROTEST UNSAFE WORKING CONDITIONS.....

by NBC News Channel

Sunday, August 2nd 2020

Amazon workers and supporters got behind the wheel for a car caravan protest. The caravan kicked off Saturday in San Leandro, California.

The final destination was the Amazon warehouse, where workers say working conditions are not safe. Demonstrators want the warehouse and vans shut down for cleaning for two weeks, starting immediately.

Organizers say the company, and state leaders are not listening to reports of unsafe working conditions. “They're not being heard in regards to complaints and on the state level they don't feel heard or protected by the people our tax dollars pay to protect our health. To hold these folks accountable,” said Carlos Gabriel, Tesla Worker in Solidarity with Amazon Workers.

Amazon says it already has in place many of the protesters' demands. If someone is exposed to COVID-19 or has a note from a doctor, they receive paid leave.

They have also doubled the janitorial staff at all facilities.

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Amazon's warehouse system jobs are not designed for human beings. They need to just automate all of it. Humans should not be doing those jobs. Picking and packing should be done by robots.

[Isobel Archer]

Robots are interesting.  I've been playing bridge online with them and they are very good.

Maybe you are on to something about their replacing workers who don't want to work.

Maybe even - since according to the Chicago Tribune, teachers unions are now complaining about teaching online (too much work, too stressful, shouldn't have to be answering all the questions students and parents have, etc. etc. etc.) - robots could replace them too.

[Spurt]

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@Isobel Archer wrote:

Robots are interesting.  I've been playing bridge online with them and they are very good.

Maybe you are on to something about their replacing workers who don't want to work.

Maybe even - since according to the Chicago Tribune, teachers unions are now complaining about teaching online (too much work, too stressful, shouldn't have to be answering all the questions students and parents have, etc. etc. etc.) - robots could replace them too.

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@Isobel Archer 

We could be like the Jetsons.........Even athletes were replaced by robots....

[Spurt]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

The real truth probably lies somewhere between.  Workers tend to exaggerate their grieviences while managent tends to downplay them.

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@Kachina624 

You are probably right. 

One of their warehouses is located outside the city limits, near a small town called New Braunfels. I know the warehouse workers here have been complaining as well....They said even their breaks weren't handled fairly, it took so long to get the the lounge/break area, by the time they did, their break was about over---no time to relax---- time to go back to work....They even did PSAs when they had job openings to get people to go to work for them because of all the bad publicity .....The warehouses were too hot in the summer too....

With all the money Bezos makes it seems he could spare some for the workers....

[Spurt]

There was so much hoopla here on the Forums when SOME of the Instacart workers mostly in California went on strike....They were complaining about pay and wanting protection equipment steps against the virus ( the company did resolve the issues)....

So I thought it was interesting how mighty Amazon is running things and treating their employees....

[Porcelain]

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@Spurt wrote:

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@Kachina624 wrote:

The real truth probably lies somewhere between.  Workers tend to exaggerate their grieviences while managent tends to downplay them.

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@Kachina624 

You are probably right. 

One of their warehouses is located outside the city limits, near a small town called New Braunfels. I know the warehouse workers here have been complaining as well....They said even their breaks weren't handled fairly, it took so long to get the the lounge/break area, by the time they did, their break was about over---no time to relax---- time to go back to work....They even did PSAs when they had job openings to get people to go to work for them because of all the bad publicity .....The warehouses were too hot in the summer too....

With all the money Bezos makes it seems he could spare some for the workers....

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We have an Amazon warehouse not terribly far from where I live. They are constantly begging for more workers. It is almost all contract work with benefits that the workers can't access because the cost would eat up the entire paycheck. It pays well for an hourly job. But it is not designed for the everyday people of all ages and health levels who respond to the cattle calls to work there.

It is work for extremely healthy young people. Non stop repetitive physical work with almost no breaks. The break rooms and restrooms are so far away from the work areas that workers cannot afford to take bathroom breaks. It takes too long to get there and get back, and their productivity numbers are still being recorded against them every moment they are not working. Those with consistently below standard speed and productivity are let go. Only to be replaced with someone else. You can reapply and go through the entire process multiple times as long as you weren't terminated for stealing or otherwise breaking the rules.

I know people who have done their time at Amazon. No one wants to work there for long. People work there temporarily, especially around Christmas when they will hire anyone. They sacrifice their bodies and health for a little while, get their pay, and then leave before they are asked to leave due to the impossible-for-normal-people-to-achieve speed and productivity standards.

It should all be done by robots because the training and rules basically try to turn the workers into robots. The best pickers and packers are fairly indistinguishable from robots while working. No serious thought or creativity is required. Just precise repetitive motions based on very simple yes/no decisions. Perfect for robots.

[Kachina624]

@Spurt    Somewhere last year, a wall in one of their warehouses collapsed and killed a worker.  I suppose air conditioning all those huge warehouses would be cost prohibitive, but lots of people have to work in hot buildings.  I know I've done it.  People get spoiled with AC.

[Porcelain]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

@Spurt    Somewhere last year, a wall in one of their warehouses collapsed and killed a worker.  I suppose air conditioning all those huge warehouses would be cost prohibitive, but lots of people have to work in hot buildings.  I know I've done it.  People get spoiled with AC.

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Many of the Amazon warehouses are climate controlled, though a few are not. Most warehouses in this country are not climate controlled, so Amazon is better than most in that way.

There are a few Amazon warehouses with no AC where they always have an ambulance parked at a back entrance (ETA: in the summer) to take all the people who collapse from heat stroke to the hospital. Working for Amazon Fresh is just as bad in the other direction. People who have to work in the refrigerated areas can get frostbite and the temperature extremes are awful. It's not a nice environment at all.

But warehouse work is not a nice or "good" job. It is rough very physical work. Amazon is better than many because they do not allow harrassment or even swearing and they are very safety conscious at a bedrock level. As in, don't get sucked into the conveyer belt or run over by a forklift level of safety.

ETA: One way Amazon weasels out of this issue when called on it is they claim that all new fulfillment centers they have built since a certain date have AC. And that is the extent of their answer, bypassing the problem.