Amazon workers condemn unsafe, grueling conditions at warehouse

[Stevicus]

‘I'm not a robot’: Amazon workers condemn unsafe, grueling conditions at warehouse

Rina Cummings has worked three 12-hour shifts every week at Amazon’s gargantuan New York City warehouse, called JFK8, on Staten Island since it first began operations in late 2018. As a sorter on the outbound ship dock, her job is to inspect and scan a mandated rate of 1,800 Amazon packages an hour – 30 per minute – that are sent through a chute and transported on a conveyor belt before leaving the facility for delivery.

Workers such as Cummings helped Amazon achieve its best ever Christmas this year. Faster shipping drove Amazon’s revenues to $87bn for fourth quarter of 2019, adding another $12.8bn to founder Jeff Bezos’s $128.9bn fortune. Amazon has just signed a deal to take another 450,000 sq ft of warehouse space on the island to speed delivery to its New York-area consumers.

But while New York customers, and Amazon’s shareholders, may be happy, some workers are not. In November, as the holiday rush got into full swing, Cummings was one of 600 workers at the Amazon warehouse who signed and delivered a petition to management calling on Amazon to improve working conditions.

They get two 15-minute breaks, but the article mentioned that it takes as long as 15 minutes just to walk to the breakroom. The article also noted that the injury rates were three times the national average for warehouse work.

Cummings first became involved with Amazon worker organizing efforts after witnessing several cases where, she claims, her colleagues were treated unfairly – and the safety concerns she works through during her own shifts at Amazon.

“There are days I say I’m just at the mercy of God,” said Cummings. She said the only changes Amazon implemented after the high injury report was published was to install video monitors around the warehouse that tell workers safety is the company’s number one priority.

“There has been no real change. There are still injuries. They were saying the report is not accurate, but it’s just a way for them to avoid responsibility,” she said.

Sounds like a sweatshop.

When packages, especially envelopes with liquid, burst on the conveyor belt, Cummings often has to stop the belt to clean up the mess, but is still expected to hit her hourly rate. She’s been written up once for missing her rate because several of these incidents happened in the same week.

This is outrageous. She gets written up for missing her rate because she had to clean up the mess of broken or improperly packaged items. Sounds like a hostile work environment.

“People get fired regularly,” she said. “It just takes two or three write-ups, depending on the severity. You can get fired for anything.”

Raymond Velez worked as a packer at the Amazon JFK8 warehouse from October 2018 to November 2019. He was required to pack at a rate of 700 items per hour. He said workers are regularly fired for missing rates.

“That’s all they care about. They don’t care about their employees,” Velez added. “They care more about the robots than they care about the employees. I’ve been to Amcare [the company’s on-site medical unit] a couple times for not feeling well, and you’d get an aspirin and sent back to work.”

Juan Espinoza, who worked as a picker at the Amazon Staten Island warehouse, quit because of the grueling working conditions.

One worker said "I'm a human being, not a robot."

“I was a picker and we were expected to always pick 400 units within the hour in seven seconds of each item we picked,” said Espinoza. “I couldn’t handle it. I’m a human being, not a robot.”

Ilya Geller, who worked as a stower, told of the pressure workers face from being surveilled by computers to ensure productivity rates are met.

“You’re being tracked by a computer the entire time you’re there. You don’t get reported or written up by managers. You get written up by an algorithm,” said Geller. “You’re keenly aware there is an algorithm keeping track of you, making sure you keep going as fast as you can, because if there is too much time lapsed between items, the computer will know this, will write you up, and you will get fired.”

Another worker said he would rather work in a prison, as he compared the Amazon warehouse to that.

Jimpat Lacewell started working at Amazon in Staten Island in November as a sorter, but quit after three days because it reminded him of prison – not least because of the 20-minute wait to get through security in and out of the facility.

“I would rather go back to a state correctional facility and work for 18 cents an hour than do that job,” Lacewell said. “I’m sure Mr Bezos couldn’t do a full shift at that place as an undercover boss.”

I think Mr. Bezos has a lot of 'splaining to do.

 

[Quetzal]

I think Mr. Bezos has a lot of 'splaining to do.

Which he won't do because he answers to, well, no one. He is in the pockets of the Washington elite and his service is too ingrained to go anywhere. The only way anything changes is if money leaves politics (lol) or people stop using amazon (double lol).

 

[Revoltingest]

Which he won't do because he answers to, well, no one. He is in the pockets of the Washington elite and his service is too ingrained to go anywhere. The only way anything changes is if money leaves politics (lol) or people stop using amazon (double lol).

His facilities would be subject to OSHA regulation & oversight.
I don't think he'd be able to avoid that, no matter how much $
he threw at politicians.

 

[HonestJoe]

Which he won't do because he answers to, well, no one. He is in the pockets of the Washington elite and his service is too ingrained to go anywhere. The only way anything changes is if money leaves politics (lol) or people stop using amazon (double lol).

I’m not convinced money in politics is the main issue in this case. I’d suggest the problems are a lack of properly enforced government regulation, which voters commonly reject and excessive demand for ever lower prices and ever fast service, which consumers won’t compromise on. We can’t have everything we want at the same time and this article simple describes the compromise we’ve come to accept.

 

[Stevicus]

Which he won't do because he answers to, well, no one. He is in the pockets of the Washington elite and his service is too ingrained to go anywhere. The only way anything changes is if money leaves politics (lol) or people stop using amazon (double lol).

Well, the workers could always unionize. Workers of the world, unite!

 

[Revoltingest]

Well, the workers could always unionize. Workers of the world, unite!

And there are plenty of other jobs out there.
Business types I know have great difficulty staffing their companies.
Many positions go unfilled.

 

[Stevicus]

And there are plenty of other jobs out there.
Business types I know have great difficulty staffing their companies.
Many positions go unfilled.

The article mentioned that a lot of people were quitting anyway. Many were getting fired "for anything." It doesn't appear that Amazon has any trouble finding workers, since they view them as so disposable.

 

[Twilight Hue]

‘I'm not a robot’: Amazon workers condemn unsafe, grueling conditions at warehouse





They get two 15-minute breaks, but the article mentioned that it takes as long as 15 minutes just to walk to the breakroom. The article also noted that the injury rates were three times the national average for warehouse work.





Sounds like a sweatshop.



This is outrageous. She gets written up for missing her rate because she had to clean up the mess of broken or improperly packaged items. Sounds like a hostile work environment.





One worker said "I'm a human being, not a robot."



Another worker said he would rather work in a prison, as he compared the Amazon warehouse to that.



I think Mr. Bezos has a lot of 'splaining to do.

I do think a lot of companies are headed back to the forties again. Slowly eliminating the 5-day work week and the weekends.

Some companies do need unions and Amazon's big enough where you're going to need one. You just need to find somebody you can handle the threats and intimidation that are going to go toward people who think of unions.

Worker rights should be revisited.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Well, the workers could always unionize. Workers of the world, unite!

I suppose one could always pay a visit with big Tony.

 

[Revoltingest]

The article mentioned that a lot of people were quitting anyway. Many were getting fired "for anything." It doesn't appear that Amazon has any trouble finding workers, since they view them as so disposable.

Given the difficulty of finding good workers, to fire people
"for anything" makes no sense. Perhaps the complainers
aren't giving us an accurate picture.
Note: Amazon still sounds like an awful company to work for.

 

[Quetzal]

Well, the workers could always unionize. Workers of the world, unite!

Ah, a joke! I like jokes! I wish unions were more common.

 

[Audie]

‘I'm not a robot’: Amazon workers condemn unsafe, grueling conditions at warehouse





They get two 15-minute breaks, but the article mentioned that it takes as long as 15 minutes just to walk to the breakroom. The article also noted that the injury rates were three times the national average for warehouse work.





Sounds like a sweatshop.



This is outrageous. She gets written up for missing her rate because she had to clean up the mess of broken or improperly packaged items. Sounds like a hostile work environment.





One worker said "I'm a human being, not a robot."



Another worker said he would rather work in a prison, as he compared the Amazon warehouse to that.



I think Mr. Bezos has a lot of 'splaining to do.

I wonder, in this booming economy with help wanted signs everywhere,
why work where it is worse than prison?

 

[columbus]

His facilities would be subject to OSHA regulation & oversight.
I don't think he'd be able to avoid that, no matter how much $
he threw at politicians.

Your faith in government agencies is touching, but misguided.

My partner had his leg badly broken because the way to do his job was both required and forbidden. And OSHA never showed up unannounced.
Tom

 

[Revoltingest]

Your faith in government agencies is touching, but misguided.

It's based upon industrial, commercial, & construction experience.
So I speculate that with Amazon in the news daily with worker
complaints, it's unlikely that this would escape OSHA notice.
Or do you claim a conspiracy?
(He does donate $ to Democrat politicians.)

My partner had his leg badly broken because the way to do his job was both required and forbidden. And OSHA never showed up unannounced.,

It is not their way to announce a visit.
Perhaps your partner's employer is part of the conspiracy?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Your faith in government agencies is touching, but misguided.

My partner had his leg badly broken because the way to do his job was both required and forbidden. And OSHA never showed up unannounced.
Tom

Never shows up unannounced?

Something is changing hands.

 

[sun rise]

His facilities would be subject to OSHA regulation & oversight.
I don't think he'd be able to avoid that, no matter how much $
he threw at politicians.

That's "funny" given that regulators are human being and thus are subject to everything that can be done to sway human beings.

 

[columbus]

That's "funny" given that regulators are human being and thus are subject to everything that can be done to sway human beings.

They're also subject to budget cuts decided upon by politicians. "Tax cuts" sells better in the USA than "worker health and safety". OSHA is often described as one of those onerous governmental regulatory agencies trying to destroy American jobs.
Tom

 

[Revoltingest]

That's "funny" given that regulators are human being and thus are subject to everything that can be done to sway human beings.

I'm speculating that perhaps we're hearing complaints which don't
accurately reflect the claimed dangers. Consider....Amazon's
worker woes have been all over the news for years. Would you
say that he has such power that government is prevented from oversight?

 

[Quetzal]

It's based upon industrial, commercial, & construction experience.
So I speculate that with Amazon in the new daily with worker
complaints, it's unlikely that this would escape OSHA notice.
Or do you claim a conspiracy?
(He does donate $ to Democrat politicians.)

It is not their way to announce a visit.
Perhaps your partner's employer is part of the conspiracy?

My hesitation is that these reports aren't new and they seem to be fairly consistent across the different locations. I will say it is possible these are isolated incidents due to low-mid level mismanagement.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Sounds a lot like when I worked at Dollar General distribution center, including the 2 breaks (which is more than federal law requires) and it taking a good while to get there, minus the time between picks tracking thing, and we had five 12-hour days a week. They too have a very high turnover rate (or at least when I was there).