If you , like me , have been reading years of reports on Amazon ’s egregious workings condition , you ’re in all probability numb to the part of the clause citing an Amazon spox templet statement about valuing workers . paper of work injury rate , grueling conditions , dystopian surveillance , and the piss bottles typically do n’t phase them lo these many twelvemonth . But watch Twitter intimately , andonce in a down in the mouth lunation , you ’ll spot the glorious flash of an Amazon official set their hair on fire .
This is one of those Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .
The freak - out commence approximately 18 hour ago in sparkle of the March 30th voting count for the unionization drive at Amazon ’s Bessemer , Alabama warehouse . If 50 pct plus one of the elector elect to unionise , employees can form a union under the Retail , Wholesale and Department Store Union ( RWDSU).Bernie Sanders , polite rights leaderWilliam Barber , Killer Mike , and Danny Glover , are showing up . Stacey Abramsis the face of the fight .
Photo: Photo of urine-filled bottles allegedly discovered by a driver in the back of an Amazon delivery van
The prescribed Amazon News Twitter account has a full - throated denial of the pee bottles .
Replying to Representative Mark Pocan ( D - WI ) ’s refute that making workers piss in bottles does not constitute a reform-minded work , the company provoke this off through its official Twitter history : “ You do n’t really believe the peeing in feeding bottle thing , do you ? If that were true , nobody would work for us . ”
1/2 You do n’t really believe the peeing in bottle thing , do you ? If that were true , nobody would wreak for us . The Sojourner Truth is that we have over a million incredible employees around the populace who are proud of what they do , and have heavy wages and health care from twenty-four hours one .
— Amazon News ( @amazonnews)March 25 , 2021
reach the consuming grounds , yes I do .
An image I was sent by one of your subcontracted pitch driverspic.twitter.com/HmkscuSjje
— Whitney Kimball ( @whitneykimball)March 25 , 2021
The instalment take up when Dave Clark , Amazon ’s CEO of Worldwide Consumer ( its retail business ) , jump on Twitter yesterday to force out off at Bernie Sanders for not being progressive enough for Amazon .
“ I welcome@SenSandersto Birmingham and treasure his push for a reform-minded workplace , ” Clarktweeted yesterday . “ I often say we are the Bernie Sanders of employers , but that ’s not quite correct because we actually deliver a progressive workplace . ”
Clark add that Amazon ’s “ constituents ” get a $ 15 minimum wage , health care , opportunity for “ career onward motion , ” and a “ dependable and inclusive work surroundings . ”
This is the same Irish bull the ship’s company has been spewing in its anti - Federal propaganda safari , and I ’ll get to that in a minute . But Clark is n’t wind up with frenetic advertizement hominem attack .
“ All we need to know is why the Sen is one of the most herculean pols in VT for 30 + yrs and their Amoy wage is STILL only $ 11.75 , ” hetweeted(caps his ) . “ AMZN ’s min wage is $ 15 + great health fear from Day 1.The Sen should save his digit wagging speech until after he actually birth in his own backyard . ”
We can give thanks Bernie Sanders for acquire a late - unthinkable federal $ 15 minimum wageon the table . Ex - Amazon employees can thank Dave “ The Sniper ” Clarkfor lurkingaround Amazon warehouses so as to ambush - flack them for perceived laziness . He was just a budding Amazon employee back then .
But back to Amazon : At the get-go of the pandemic , the companyoffereda meager $ 2 / hour hazard wage acclivity and revoked it just a few month later in early June . The Brookings Instituteranked Amazonone of the “ least generous ” companies to amass soaring profit during the pandemic .
In reply to Clark ’s remarks , RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum wrote in a statement shared with Gizmodo , that “ if the workings condition were so outstanding , Amazon would n’t have such an extraordinarily gamey overturn rate of over 100 per centum a twelvemonth at its facilities . ” The cite in all probability occur from the Seattle Times’findingthat the caller had a 100 % turnover pace for frontline workers , twice the norm of other storage warehouse and retail employer .
The finding suggests that Amazon employee might not be see the “ career patterned advance ” opportunities Clark mentions . They have told numerousmedia outletsthat they are not exactly treated as valued team members .
“ Amazon is a very unfriendly and un - understanding stead , ” a Maryland - ground distribution center prole distinguish Gizmodo last month . “ You have to just realize my manager ’s getting on my pace and my quality because my manager ’s incentive is contingent upon her squad making a sure quota . ” There are some days , she says , when Amazon managers seem to be “ looking to fire hoi polloi , ” and she ’s constantly penalized .
To Clark ’s points about a “ reformist work , ” Amazon ’s anti - unionization efforts have seek to reinforce a sense of moral superiority through Stockholm syndrome - esque electronic messaging plastered on storage warehouse bathrooms and blasted in texts to their employees . advertizing puppetized workers who repeat Amazon ’s transmission line that corrupt union pocket workers ’ profit while reach nothing for them . Awebsitetells workers that “ There ’s so much MORE you may do for your career and your family without paying dues”—neglecting to cite that in Alabama , a right hand - to - piece of work state , workers can vote in favor of a union and still choose not to join it .
An consuming number of accounts and grounds have show that Clark ’s claim to a “ dependable study environment ” is but untrue . Aninvestigationfrom Reveal , of the Center of Investigative Reporting , last year find that Amazon officials betray the public with safety claims while internal documents showed an appallingly high injury rate at over 150 warehouses . Their revue regain that in 2019 , Amazon recorded 14,000 serious injuries , or injuries requiring time off employment . That was 7.7 serious injuries per 100 employee ; comparably , OSHA recordsshow that this is over three prison term the mediocre serious injury charge per unit at general warehousing and storage .
Not only has Amazon misinform worker about the functions of unions . Internal document obtainedby Motherboardshow that the company hired Pinkerton agents in ordering to monitor the exertion , and the companyhas mailedemployees “ VOTE NO ” fliers , instructing them to subject their balloting through anewly - installedmailbox outside the warehouse .
“ The USPS lately installed a letter box onsite at BHM1 for the public toilet of our employee , ” an Amazon spokesperson told Gizmodo , secure us that it ’s been instal for the role of ensure a “ convenient , secure , and individual ” mail - in voting unconscious process . They added that only the USPS can garner mail .
Reuters hasalso reportedthat Amazon has listed former employees as eligible voters — Amazon ’s list , per NLRB rules , is the sole elector scroll for the election . Two ex-husband - employees whom Reuters contacted title to have voted . The National Labor Relations Board , however , is have a bun in the oven to validate eligibility , register each name before the vote is opened , and the RWDSU can repugn eligibility before the ballot is opened . The union recite Gizmodo that it has been in touch with the people on the list .
Though the election has been unco swift , according to the RWDSU , we likely should buckle down for a retentive wait . It ’s more than likely that the NLRB will hold a listening on challenged voting , and Amazon can contest ballots for any turn of reasons including mismatched signatures . A number of subsequent steps could slow the process , include anNLRB hearingon whether Amazon intentionally confound voter or instilled fear of revenge which could invalidate the election .
Whether it takes weeks or months or yr , prominent union help need to keep stir . That Amazon is come up down from on mellow to lose it over urine feeding bottle in response to a pro - union tweet , it seems the carefully - constructedunion - prooffortress might be less impenetrable than it thought .
Update 3/25/21 6:00pm ET : Leaked documents write byThe Interceptindicate that Amazon direction is well aware that its employee must palliate themselves in bags and bottleful .
A screenshot of an email apparently sent from an Amazon logistics manager fully acknowledge that subcontracted delivery driver do n’t have humane bathroom access . Rather than fix the problem , they issue a menace :
This evening , an associate key human fecal matter in an Amazon bag that was recall to station by number one wood . This is the tertiary occasion in the last 2 month when bags have been return to station with shit inwardly . We understand that DA ’s [ delivery associates , aka Amazon ’s subcontract drivers ] may have emergencies while on - road , and especially during Covid , DAs have struggled to find lavatory while delivering . Regardless , DAs can not , MUST NOT , return bags to station with poop inwardly .
The Intercept also obtained a text file from an Amazon employee that specifically name “ public urination ” and “ public shitting ” as employee violations . Motherboard haspreviously publisheddocuments establish the same rules for speech subcontractors
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