Inside Amazon's Working Conditions

"If you want to understand what a turn of the century 20th century sweatshop looks like, all you've got to do is go to an Amazon warehouse for a day." -James, former Amazon employee

This is immoral. I will be asking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to investigate unsafe working conditions at Amazon fulfillment centers.

[Timbrock]

At 3:12 "I wish Jeff Bezos would do an Undercover Boss". FORGET IT, NEVER HAPPEN! He's very well aware of Amazon's working conditions. He's the one who established them!
But he says "I'm proud of our working conditions".

[SillyTubereal]

I work as a picker in a sortation center and it's horrible. You have to stack heavy bags in 3 layers. The third layer is extremely hard and dangerous. Instead of redesigning the carts, they tell you to beg someone for help if you can't lift alone. The work area is also really congested, it's like a traffic jam, you have to wait for others to get out of the way for you to get to your place, this causes delays and then they tell you to hurry up.
And this is just the beginning of the shift!

[Shinyarc]

It’s the second Gilded Age and we need a Mark Twain.

[IKARIANOFFICIAL]

My guess is that the Amazon executives KNOW exactly what the work conditions are like, but they just don't care.

[negativeanthony]

One of my issues with Amazon is its reluctance to hire or promote people from within the organization. In other words, a person who worked in a FC probably wouldn't move into an office outside the facility--even if he/she had a college degree and/or relevant experience. Why? What does Amazon not want us to know?

[AcmePotatoPackingPocatello]

In the USA the largest employer is WAL-MART.
Wal-Mart set the template for AMAZON, wage structure, HEALTH-CARE, seniority, and more importantly and little discussed are predatory bosses.
Average pay at both is less than 30k. Crappy health insurance.
People say the country has gone to hell- Then they shop these sweat shop jobs.
These kind of crap jobs did not exist in the 1950 -- 1970's. When 1 out of 3 Americans were UNION workers. Now it's 1 out of lifted everybody's wages. Non union workplace is a disgusting brownnoser paradise. Seniority protection does not exist.
Stress day in day out. Crap wage.

[flash_flood_area]

To those who say "only the young should work at Amazon", and "if you don't like it, get another job"... Research 'the Precariat'.

[ZOOTSUITBEATNICK]

imo
Jeff Bezos knows what's going on.
He just doesn't care.

[themeadowlarkminutewithpau]

I never knew Bezos had such a geek voice. lol

[slapasimptribe]

I love the beat. Just wanted to say that.

[desireesalas]

Can they find work elsewhere making the equivalent to what they're earning at Amazon but under more decent working conditions? STOP supporting Amazon. I never shop Amazon and I survive mighty well, still breathing lol

[alucard]

Depends on the facility and management. My facility I work at is not like this

[haoyuguo]

if you feel miserable at Amazon, just get fired is easy.

[Mjk]

I never understood why america doesn't have a NHS like britain. Basically a little bit off money comes out off your taxes to the NHS. However every british citizen gets free health care. Put it this way if i got seriously injured today say got hit by car and had to spend a month in hospital it wouldn't cost me anything. You want IVF as long as you don't have kids already you will get the treatment.

[zudemaster]

It makes me wonder does Bezos really know how things actually are or is he just 100% out of touch with reality?

[Cheeseburger.Launch.Sequence]

Place huge orders and cancel them. Avoid third party items.

Repeat.

[rsl]

Guarenteed Bezos has a clone of himself 1/8 his size RIP Verne Troyer

[ronfazer]

And OSHA is no help when a person is hurt or killed at Amazon. There is a story out of Indiana (on NPR's youtube page). A worker there was squashed by a forklift truck! An ex-OSHA worker reported how they lean toward the Giant employer Amazon and reduced the $25000 fine after Amazon complained! This guy was killed! I have my own story a friend of mine in Illinois near Chicago called OSHA because the forklift operators at Menards did not speak any english at all! My friend told OSHA what if a worker in the lumber dept gets gravely hurt and needs a defibrillator or is bleeding heavily and cannot say that to a boss. These workers did not even know the word plywood, let alone Cement board which is what he really wanted. OSHA's did not agree this was a problem and even insinuated this man was a racist!

[redpancake]

well that's good this worker quit, it led him to realize he should have a career somewhere else. If you don't want to work then don't work!

[saraidelk]

Sooo.. Somethings are some what right. But I have never had better insurance then what I have with Amazon. And I have stage 4 kidneys disease so I'm always in and out of an er or doctors office. Best insurance ever!! No company is perfect.