I don’t generally buy much from Amazon, although I, like most not-terribly wealthy people, am not immune to great deals so occasionally I’ll click away. However, reading how they apparently treat the people who pull their orders, I think I’ll just fully commit to just sticking to what I can buy in town:
Over the past two months, The Morning Call interviewed 20 current and former warehouse workers who showed pay stubs, tax forms or other proof of employment. They offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it’s like to work in the Amazon warehouse, where temperatures soar on hot summer days, production rates are difficult to achieve and the permanent jobs sought by many temporary workers hired by an outside agency are tough to get.
Only one of the employees interviewed described it as a good place to work.
Workers said they were forced to endure brutal heat inside the sprawling warehouse and were pushed to work at a pace many could not sustain. Employees were frequently reprimanded regarding their productivity and threatened with termination, workers said. The consequences of not meeting work expectations were regularly on display, as employees lost their jobs and got escorted out of the warehouse. Such sights encouraged some workers to conceal pain and push through injury lest they get fired as well, workers said.
During summer heat waves, Amazon arranged to have paramedics parked in ambulances outside, ready to treat any workers who dehydrated or suffered other forms of heat stress. Those who couldn’t quickly cool off and return to work were sent home or taken out in stretchers and wheelchairs and transported to area hospitals. And new applicants were ready to begin work at any time.
An emergency room doctor in June called federal regulators to report an “unsafe environment” after he treated several Amazon warehouse workers for heat-related problems. The doctor’s report was echoed by warehouse workers who also complained to regulators, including a security guard who reported seeing pregnant employees suffering in the heat.
This article appears in Sep 15-21, 2011.
I guess they could quit.
Exactly, if you are unskilled you can expect tough work at low wages, if you don’t like it then learn a marketable skill or quit.
Yeah guys they all chose to be unskilled and work for low wages. Really?
If the conditions are so bad that this is happening frequently it’s not a “they couldn’t handle the workload” problem, it’s a company problem. Unfortunately this exists all over the US, not the mention the rest of the world. My work can be hard but I’m treated fairly. These jobs are unfair and human beings don’t deserve it.
I guess they could quit and apply for all those other jobs out there… oh yeah. And that’s the bottom line. Working people are being sacrificed for profits whether they have jobs or not.
Because jobs are so obviously easy to come by. Even those who have a “marketable skill” are being forced to take jobs they would be overqualified for in a good job market. There are times when you can’t just quit but are forced to push through. That is why federal regulators are there, to prevent issues like these.
How is not buying anything from Amazon going to help? They probably aren’t reading Dan Gibson’s stuff at Tucson Weekly so they’ll never know. If enough people just quietly “boycott” then all they will know is that sales are off and those people in that warehouse will no longer need to worry about the heat, the work overload nor where they are going to cash a paycheck.
Why is it that the response to everything these days is “boycott! boycott! boycott!” Maybe it makes more sense to contact Amazon and let them know your concerns instead of kvetching in a minor city’s alternative weekly’s blog. But, then again, why let actual real world action that requires picking up a phone or writing a letter get in the way of righteous indignation.
Buck: You’re making quite a few assumptions in your response, but I do understand where you’re coming from.
1. I’m not actually a huge fan of boycotts. I don’t think they generally work, especially against a behemoth like Amazon. I just personally try to “vote” my conscience with my purchases. This situation depressed me, I felt like sharing a story that I thought TW readers might not see otherwise (the benefit of my job, I suppose), and I probably won’t buy from Amazon again. You can do whatever you like. You have your own convictions, I’m sure, and this might not be a big deal to you. I just don’t like the guilt, so I try to make the best decisions I can.
2. I did email Amazon and their head honcho Jeff Bezos yesterday, so you might want to dial it down a bit before jumping to conclusions about what I will and won’t do. I’m not perfect, but I’m no “slacktivist”.
Thanks for the comment, however, it’s always a good reminder that action is better than inaction when activism is involved.
Dont really care. They have great deals and good service. Ill still use em.
Perhaps Amazon was shipping a lot of Kindles on those hot days…