Facing scrutiny over safety, Amazon fires two more employees
4 years, 8 months ago

Facing scrutiny over safety, Amazon fires two more employees

Al Jazeera  

The e-commerce giant was urged to improve working conditions after cases of COVID-19 were reported at some facilities. Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday that it terminated two employees, who criticised the working conditions at the e-commerce giant’s warehouses in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, for “repeatedly violating internal policies”. The Seattle-based firm has been facing public scrutiny over safety and working conditions of warehouse, delivery and retail gig workers in the United States after cases of COVID-19 were reported in some of its facilities. Amazon said it supported “every employee’s right to criticize their employer’s working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies.” The world’s largest online retailer is racing to update safety protocols, keep warehouses functional and ship essential goods to shoppers who have been told by their governments to stay home to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The basic goods Amazon will be allowed to ship include food and hygiene products or medical items, Sud said after receiving the ruling by the Nanterre court just outside Paris.

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History of this topic

Amazon Warehouse Workers Across US Strike Ahead of Holiday Rush
55 years ago

Amazon Warehouse Workers Across US Strike Ahead of Holiday Rush

Wired  

“These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible,” Teamsters general president Sean M. O’Brien said in a public statement. In a press release published with the earnings report, Amazon president and CEO Andy Jassy said the company was “excited about what we have in store for customers” for …

Warehouse workers' 'blood, sweat and tears' fuelling Amazon's speed 'obsession', investigation finds
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Warehouse workers' 'blood, sweat and tears' fuelling Amazon's speed 'obsession', investigation finds

ABC  

Amazon's obsession with "speed and productivity" leads to high rates of debilitating injuries and makes safety procedures "nearly impossible to follow", a new investigation has found. "The committee also found that in each of the past seven years, Amazon workers were nearly twice as likely to be injured as workers in warehouses operated by the rest of the warehousing industry." …

Senate report alleges Amazon rejected warehouse safety recommendations due to productivity concerns
3 weeks, 2 days ago

Senate report alleges Amazon rejected warehouse safety recommendations due to productivity concerns

Associated Press  

At least two internal Amazon studies found a link between how quickly the online retailer’s warehouse workers perform tasks and workplace injuries, but the company rejected many safety recommendations out of concern the proposed changes might reduce productivity, according to a U.S. Senate committee report. Amazon pushed back on the findings Monday, saying in a blog post that Sanders “continues …

Amazon ignored internal warnings of warehouse injuries, Senate probe finds
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Amazon ignored internal warnings of warehouse injuries, Senate probe finds

LA Times  

For years, Amazon has faced accusations that the pressure the company puts on its warehouse workers to work more quickly has led to higher rates of injuries. In a report on its findings released this week, the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions concluded that in 2023 Amazon warehouses recorded more than 30% more injuries than the industry …

Amazon workers fume at tech giant for scrapping remote work
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Amazon workers fume at tech giant for scrapping remote work

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors …

Amazon is responsible for hazardous items sold by third-party sellers, US agency says
5 months, 1 week ago

Amazon is responsible for hazardous items sold by third-party sellers, US agency says

Associated Press  

Amazon is responsible under federal safety law for hazardous products sold on its platform by third-party sellers and shipped by the company, a U.S. government agency ordered Tuesday. In a unanimous vote, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said it determined that the e-commerce company was a “distributor” of faulty items sold on its site and packed and shipped through its …

Amazon Prime Day is a major cause of injuries for warehouse workers, Senate review says
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Amazon Prime Day is a major cause of injuries for warehouse workers, Senate review says

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Amazon’s popular Prime Day sales event has been “a major cause of injuries” for warehouse workers who pick and pack customer orders at the e-commerce giant’s facilities across the United States, according to a report released Tuesday by Sen. Bernie Sanders. The report, which draws information from a year-long Senate committee investigation into Amazon’s safety practices and …

Amazon warehouse workers complain of harsh conditions
7 months ago

Amazon warehouse workers complain of harsh conditions

Hindustan Times  

Amazon workers in India are facing distressing conditions inside warehouses amidst a severe ongoing heatwave that has sent temperatures reaching up to 50°C in some areas. She said the roughly 2,000 workers in her warehouse face oppressive conditions every day, standing for 10 hours straight with no seating for a meagre monthly salary of around ₹10,000 rupees. Some of the …

Inside 'mob-like' world of Amazon that left one employee so traumatized he jumped off Seattle office roof - as his chilling final email to staff is revealed
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Inside 'mob-like' world of Amazon that left one employee so traumatized he jumped off Seattle office roof - as his chilling final email to staff is revealed

Daily Mail  

An Amazon engineer threw himself from the roof of the company's 12-story Seattle headquarters, blaming working conditions for his despair. Horror stories from inside factories led one ex-con to describe conditions as worse than prison Amazon boss Jeff Bezos is described as a man with an unquenchable thirst to win at any cost The engineer jumped from the roof of …

Cyber Monday: Amazon reaches agreement with Spanish workers over walkouts
1 year, 1 month ago

Cyber Monday: Amazon reaches agreement with Spanish workers over walkouts

Hindustan Times  

Amazon reached an agreement with most of its workers in Spain on Monday, avoiding the full impact of a planned one-hour strike per shift on one of the busiest online shopping days of the year, according to local union group CCOO and the company. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Around 20,000 warehouse and delivery workers at Amazon's Spanish unit had been urged …

A disabled warehouse worker says he was bullied and abused. A jury ordered to Amazon to pay him $1.2 million
1 year, 1 month ago

A disabled warehouse worker says he was bullied and abused. A jury ordered to Amazon to pay him $1.2 million

LA Times  

People work in the Amazon Fulfillment Center in San Bernardino. A jury awarded the worker, Michael Kopp, $1.2 million earlier this month after finding that Amazon intentionally inflicted emotional distress on the former employee when its human resources department failed to stop the harassment. Kopp, who has Asperger’s and dyslexia, was hired as a “warehouse associate” at Amazon’s Fulfillment Center …

Pain, exhaustion rampant among Amazon warehouse workers, study says
1 year, 2 months ago

Pain, exhaustion rampant among Amazon warehouse workers, study says

LA Times  

A truck arrives at an Amazon warehouse in the Staten Island borough of New York. The data suggest “injury and pain at Amazon are far more widespread” than previously known, said Beth Gutelius, research director at the center and a leading expert on logistics and warehouse work. Amazon spokesperson Maureen Lynch Vogel said the report was “not a ‘study’ — …

Bernie Sanders launches Senate probe into Amazon workplace safety
1 year, 6 months ago

Bernie Sanders launches Senate probe into Amazon workplace safety

LA Times  

Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders launched an investigation into charges of unsafe working conditions at Amazon.com Inc. warehouses across the U.S., raising the possibility of high-profile hearings on complaints over the retailer’s treatment of employees. Sanders, who chairs the Senate committee with jurisdiction over labor laws, portrayed the company as maintaining its position as one of the world’s most valuable companies …

Amazon worker injuries dip last year, but higher than 2020
1 year, 8 months ago

Amazon worker injuries dip last year, but higher than 2020

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Amazon’s total injury rate for warehouse workers took a dip last year, but injuries were still worse than they were in 2020, according to an analysis released Wednesday by a coalition of labor unions. The report, which was compiled by the Strategic Organizing Center and examines data Amazon has submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, …

OSHA cites 3 Amazon warehouses for high injury risk
1 year, 11 months ago

OSHA cites 3 Amazon warehouses for high injury risk

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Federal safety investigators cited three Amazon warehouses for putting workers at serious risk of injury from the bending, twisting and lifting required to rapidly move and stack packages for hours. “Each of these inspections found work processes that were designed for speed but not safety, and they resulted in serious worker injuries,” Parker said, adding that Amazon …

OSHA: Amazon failed to record some warehouse injuries
2 years ago

OSHA: Amazon failed to record some warehouse injuries

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Amazon failed to properly record work-related injuries at warehouses located in five states, a federal agency said Friday while announcing it issued more than a dozen citations during the course of its ongoing investigation of the company. Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a prepared statement the company invests millions in a “robust safety program” to protect …

Amazon workers in San Bernardino allege anti-union actions and retaliation
2 years, 2 months ago

Amazon workers in San Bernardino allege anti-union actions and retaliation

LA Times  

A group of workers at an Amazon air freight hub in San Bernardino that has been pushing for a $5-per-hour pay increase and more robust safety measures accused the e-commerce giant of unfair labor practices in a Thursday filing with the National Labor Relations Board. The group, which calls itself Inland Empire Amazon Workers United, alleged the company threatened an …

Amazon bars off-duty warehouse workers from its buildings
2 years, 6 months ago

Amazon bars off-duty warehouse workers from its buildings

Associated Press  

Amazon is barring off-duty warehouse workers from the company’s facilities, a move organizers say can hamper union drives. An Amazon spokesperson said the policy does not prohibit off-duty employees from engaging their co-workers in “non-working areas” outside the company’s buildings. It does not limit employee access to non-working areas outside of our facilities.” The notice of the new policy, dated …

Leaked report from Amazon warns it could run out of new warehouse staff to hire in the US by 2024
2 years, 6 months ago

Leaked report from Amazon warns it could run out of new warehouse staff to hire in the US by 2024

Daily Mail  

Amazon could run out of new people to hire by 2024, with the company burning through its entire warehouse workforce annually thanks to grueling shifts, a leaked internal document reveals. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that employee safety is the company's top priority In 2020, for every 100 Amazon workers, six were injured, according to the Washington Post. Among the …

Facing Criticism, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Says Will Improve Safety Of Workers
2 years, 8 months ago

Facing Criticism, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Says Will Improve Safety Of Workers

ABP News  

New Delhi: Amazon President and CEO Andy Jassy has said that the e-commerce giant wants to improve worker safety at its warehouses and fulfilment centres, as the company faces intense scrutiny over employees' conditions. In his first shareholder letter as the head of Amazon, Jassy, who took over as CEO from founder Jeff Bezos last year, said that the company …

Two Amazon workers denied sick leave die within hours of each other, co-workers claim
3 years ago

Two Amazon workers denied sick leave die within hours of each other, co-workers claim

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Two Amazon workers reportedly …

Amazon to mandate masks for all its workers in warehouses
3 years, 5 months ago

Amazon to mandate masks for all its workers in warehouses

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Starting Monday, Amazon will be requiring all of its 900,000 U.S. warehouse workers to wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. Amazon said Friday that its call for a nationwide mask mandate for its warehouse workers was in response to the spread of COVID-19 variants in the U.S., and guidance from public health authorities and its …

Amazon pushes back return to office to January due to COVID
3 years, 5 months ago

Amazon pushes back return to office to January due to COVID

The Hindu  

Amazon has pushed back its return-to-office date for tech and corporate workers until January as COVID-19 cases surge nationally due to the more contagious delta variant. The surge of the delta variant of the coronavirus has upended many companies’ plans to bring office workers back this fall, a drive already complicated by efforts to accommodate widespread employee preference for flexible …

Amazon pushes back return to office to January due to COVID
3 years, 5 months ago

Amazon pushes back return to office to January due to COVID

Associated Press  

SEATTLE — Amazon has pushed back its return-to-office date for tech and corporate workers until January as COVID-19 cases surge nationally due to the more contagious delta variant. The surge of the delta variant of the coronavirus has upended many companies’ plans to bring office workers back this fall, a drive already complicated by efforts to accommodate widespread employee preference …

Amazon to end testing for COVID-19 at warehouses this month
3 years, 5 months ago

Amazon to end testing for COVID-19 at warehouses this month

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Amazon will stop testing workers …

Regulator sues Amazon to force recall of hazardous products
3 years, 5 months ago

Regulator sues Amazon to force recall of hazardous products

Associated Press  

Safety regulators are suing Amazon to force it to recall hazardous products sold on its site, including flammable children’s pajamas, faulty carbon monoxide detectors and hair dryers that don’t protect users from getting electrocuted. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which filed the complaint late Wednesday, said the online shopping giant stopped selling some of the faulty products. Amazon said …

Amazon broke the law by firing workers who called for better Covid safety measures, board finds
3 years, 9 months ago

Amazon broke the law by firing workers who called for better Covid safety measures, board finds

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The agency that oversees …

US Labour Board says Amazon illegally fired employees critical of work conditions
3 years, 9 months ago

US Labour Board says Amazon illegally fired employees critical of work conditions

The Hindu  

Amazon.com Inc illegally fired two employees who advocated for better working conditions during the pandemic, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board has found. The online retailer last year terminated the employment of Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, who accused the company of enforcing policies in a discriminatory fashion and having vague rules that "chill and restrain" staff from exercising rights, …

Labour board says Amazon illegally fired outspoken workers
3 years, 9 months ago

Labour board says Amazon illegally fired outspoken workers

India TV News  

The National Labour Relations Board has found that two outspoken Amazon workers were illegally fired last year. Both employees, Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa, worked at Amazon offices in Seattle and publicly criticised the company, pushing it to do more to reduce its impact on climate change and to better protect warehouse workers from the coronavirus. About a year ago, …

After Months of Work From Home, Amazon to Bring Employees Back to Offices Soon
3 years, 9 months ago

After Months of Work From Home, Amazon to Bring Employees Back to Offices Soon

News 18  

Amazon plans to have its employees return to the office by fall as the tech giant transitions away from the remote work it implemented for many workers due to the coronavirus pandemic. The company had previously given its return-to-office date as June 30, but questions remained as to whether the company would allow some of its 60,000 Seattle-area office employees …

NY sues Amazon, saying it didn’t protect workers from virus
3 years, 10 months ago

NY sues Amazon, saying it didn’t protect workers from virus

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The New York attorney general is suing Amazon over COVID-19 safety protocols, accusing the company of being more concerned with making money than protecting its workers from getting sick. “While Amazon and its CEO made billions during this crisis, hardworking employees were forced to endure unsafe conditions,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed the …

Amazon workers in Alabama to vote on union by mail starting in February
3 years, 11 months ago

Amazon workers in Alabama to vote on union by mail starting in February

LA Times  

Amazon, the second-largest employer in the nation behind Walmart, has largely avoided unions in the U.S. Amazon.com Inc. workers at an Alabama warehouse will vote by mail in February and March on whether to form a union, the National Labor Relations Board said, setting a date for a closely watched referendum on the relationship between the largest online retailer and …

On eve of Black Friday, Amnesty pushes Amazon on workers’ rights
4 years, 1 month ago

On eve of Black Friday, Amnesty pushes Amazon on workers’ rights

Al Jazeera  

Amazon should not risk the health and safety of its employees to meet Black Friday shopping demands, Amnesty International warned on Thursday, accusing the online retail giant of clamping down on employees’ right to demand better working conditions. In a report called “Amazon, Let Workers Unionize!”, the human rights group said Amazon has undermined workers’ attempts to unionise and bargain …

Amazon workers say Prime Day rush breaks pandemic safety vows
4 years, 2 months ago

Amazon workers say Prime Day rush breaks pandemic safety vows

LA Times  

Amazon warehouse workers allege in a court filing that in the run-up to Prime Day, the company has been hassling employees about productivity and warning that slowness could get them terminated. “Amazon has not been honest and forthcoming,” employees at a warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y., told the judge handling their lawsuit, which alleges that the company’s “oppressive and dangerous” …

Prime Day, peak season and the pandemic: Amazon warehouse workers brace for the months ahead
4 years, 2 months ago

Prime Day, peak season and the pandemic: Amazon warehouse workers brace for the months ahead

CNN  

CNN Business — Amazon is gearing up for one of its largest shopping events of the year, which is set to begin Tuesday. Following basic Covid-19 virus precautions, such as maintaining six feet of social distancing, can prove increasingly difficult in certain parts of Amazon ’s facilities as more workers are on-site and as the volume of packages increases, six …

Amazon reveals 19,8000 employees have tested positive for COVID-19
4 years, 3 months ago

Amazon reveals 19,8000 employees have tested positive for COVID-19

Daily Mail  

Nearly 20,000 Amazon employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic in March, the company has revealed. Amazon said 19,816 of its 1.37million workers, have contracted the virus - a rate of 1.4 per cent. Amazon on Thursday revealed 19,816 of its employees have tested positive since March The company analyzed data on 1.37million workers at …

Amazon says nearly 20,000 of its workers have had coronavirus
4 years, 3 months ago

Amazon says nearly 20,000 of its workers have had coronavirus

LA Times  

Amazon was facing pressure from labor groups and its own workers to divulge its COVID-19 numbers. Amazon says that nearly 20,000 of its frontline U.S. workers have tested positive or been presumed positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. “This is not an arena where companies should compete — this is an arena where companies should help one another.” The …

Amazon said nearly 20,000 employees have tested positive or been presumed positive for COVID-19
4 years, 3 months ago

Amazon said nearly 20,000 employees have tested positive or been presumed positive for COVID-19

CNN  

CNN Business — Amazon said Thursday that 19,816 of its front-line US employees at Amazon and Whole Foods have tested positive or been presumed positive for the coronavirus, shedding light for the first time on how its workforce has been impacted by Covid-19. In a blog post, the company said it did a “thorough analysis of data on all 1,372,000 …

Amazon uses worker surveillance to boost performance and stop staff joining unions, study says
4 years, 4 months ago

Amazon uses worker surveillance to boost performance and stop staff joining unions, study says

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors …

An internal Amazon memo shows how closely it’s tracking coronavirus data at warehouses
4 years, 6 months ago

An internal Amazon memo shows how closely it’s tracking coronavirus data at warehouses

CNN  

CNN Business — For months, Amazon has refused to reveal data on the number of coronavirus cases inside its warehouses by claiming the data itself “isn’t particularly useful,” frustrating workers and critics hoping for a clearer picture of infections within what have become critical hubs for home supplies. “Over the months of Covid-19, thousands of employees and partners have worked …

Amazon workers sue over covid-19 brought home from warehouse
4 years, 7 months ago

Amazon workers sue over covid-19 brought home from warehouse

Live Mint  

A group of Amazon.com Inc. warehouse employees sued the online retail giant, claiming its working conditions put not only them at risk of contracting the coronavirus but also their family members, including one who died. Barbara Chandler, one of three workers who filed a lawsuit Wednesday in New York, claims she contracted the virus in March at Amazon’s Staten Island …

Amazon warehouse workers are suing the company for endangering their families
4 years, 7 months ago

Amazon warehouse workers are suing the company for endangering their families

CNN  

CNN Business — A new lawsuit targeting Amazon claims that a lack of Covid-19 protections at its Staten Island facility has not only put workers at risk, but also their families. The complaint, filed Wednesday by three Amazon workers at its JFK8 warehouse, alleges the company has erected a “a façade of compliance” to meet public health guidelines while simultaneously …

Amazon insists sharing data on coronavirus cases in its warehouses isn’t useful
4 years, 7 months ago

Amazon insists sharing data on coronavirus cases in its warehouses isn’t useful

CNN  

CNN — Amazon is famed for its data-driven approach to management and decision-making. But when it comes to the total number of coronavirus cases in its warehouses, Amazon’s view is, as one executive recently put it, that information isn’t “particularly useful.” For weeks, the company has frustrated workers and critics by declining to provide information about the total number of …

Amazon Warehouse Safety 'Inadequate,' N.Y. Attorney General's Office Says
4 years, 8 months ago

Amazon Warehouse Safety 'Inadequate,' N.Y. Attorney General's Office Says

NPR  

Amazon Warehouse Safety 'Inadequate,' N.Y. Attorney General's Office Says Enlarge this image toggle caption Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images Updated at 7:15 p.m. ET Amazon may have violated federal safety standards for providing "inadequate" protections to warehouse workers in New York, the state attorney general's office says. "While we continue to investigate, the information so …

2nd French court orders Amazon to better protect workers
4 years, 8 months ago

2nd French court orders Amazon to better protect workers

Associated Press  

PARIS — Amazon is keeping all of its French warehouses closed for the time being, after an appeals court upheld a ruling saying the company hadn’t done enough to protect workers from the coronavirus. Unions in France and beyond welcomed Friday’s ruling by the appeals court in Versailles as a comeuppance for the online behemoth, and expressed hope that negotiations …

Amazon France loses appeal against worker safety ruling
4 years, 8 months ago

Amazon France loses appeal against worker safety ruling

CNN  

London CNN Business — Amazon will keep its French distribution centers shut down through April 28 after losing its appeal against a court ruling that prompted it to suspend deliveries in France last week. A court in Paris on Friday upheld a ruling that Amazon must stop selling nonessential goods as it carries out a risk assessment on how best …

Amazon Workers Stage New Protests Over Warehouse Coronavirus Safety
4 years, 8 months ago

Amazon Workers Stage New Protests Over Warehouse Coronavirus Safety

NPR  

Amazon Workers Stage New Protests Over Warehouse Coronavirus Safety Enlarge this image toggle caption Bebeto Matthews/AP Bebeto Matthews/AP Amazon warehouse workers are staging a nationwide protest against the company, an action that could be the largest yet targeting Amazon's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Sponsor Message Tuesday's protest is the latest wave of action by Amazon warehouse workers, some of …

Amazon To Temporarily Stop Deliveries In France, Following Court Ruling
4 years, 8 months ago

Amazon To Temporarily Stop Deliveries In France, Following Court Ruling

NPR  

Amazon To Temporarily Stop Deliveries In France, Following Court Ruling Enlarge this image toggle caption Chesnot/Getty Images Chesnot/Getty Images Amazon will suspend all distribution operations in its six warehouses in France until at least April 20, according to an internal document sent to French labor unions. Sponsor Message A lawsuit resulted from a complaint filed last month by a French …

Amazon fires 3 more employees who criticized working conditions
4 years, 8 months ago

Amazon fires 3 more employees who criticized working conditions

LA Times  

Amazon.com Inc. is hitting back at activists within its own ranks, terminating three employees who criticized working conditions in its warehouses. “We support every employee’s right to criticize their employer’s working conditions, but that does not come with blanket immunity against any and all internal policies,” the company said in an emailed statement. “We terminated these employees for repeatedly violating …

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