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Amazon jobs: boon or torture?
American Thinker ^ | 12/01/2019 | Thomas Lifson

Posted on 12/01/2019 10:14:04 AM PST by SeekAndFind

The company at the root of the fortune of the world’s richest man is either a slave-driving torture camp, or a generous and understanding enabler of people seeking to grow their skills and develop satisfying careers. Both views are getting lots of air right now, as Christmas hiring in a tight job market is sparking a recruitment drive at the online retailing champion.  

Some people who have worked at Amazon denounce their former employer as an inhumane sweatshop. Consider this article in the New York Post, written by Maureen Donnelly, who worked for one month at an Amazon fulfillment center, where goods on order are packed into boxes for shipping to customers. Ms. Donnelly found the experience intolerable:

I soon learned that only difference between an Amazon warehouse and a third-world sweatshop were the robots. At Amazon, you were surrounded by bots, and they were treated better than the humans. (snip)

They assigned me as a “stower.” I stocked shelves, called racks.

Squat, square orange robots — they looked like an ugly cousin to the Roomba — carried 8-foot-tall yellow racks with dozens of compartments. The bots would whiz around to the stowers and stop. Somebody called a “water spider” would bring me boxes of items to stow. I would lift the items out of the box, scan them and put each item into a compartment in the rack. When the rack was full, I pressed a button, and the robot would zip away with the rack, and another robot would arrive with an empty rack for me to fill.


(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Society
KEYWORDS: amazon; jobs; workload
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CONTINUED ....

When I showed up for my shift, I’d walk in the main entrance and scan a security badge to get through a revolving door. The locker room was to the left. You had to put any personal items in the locker. No headphones. I think it was a safety issue. Absolutely no cellphones on the floor! They didn’t want anybody taking pictures or giving away their secrets! No food. No drinks — except water. (snip)

After putting away my personals, I’d go to the meeting area for 10 minutes of group calisthenics — I felt like I was in the Army.

Then it was on to my station to start stowing. I’d stare at what awaited me: An endless line of yellow racks. One hundred stowers lined up 15 feet apart.  It reminded me of the ending of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” (snip)

It was hot as hell in that building — it felt like 150 degrees. 

People kept asking, “Can we get fans?” But the answer was always no. You know why? Because, we were told, the robots don’t function well in the cold. Finally we figured out why every manager in the place was wearing shorts.

1 posted on 12/01/2019 10:14:04 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
People kept asking, “Can we get fans?” But the answer was always no. You know why?

Sounds like that scene in "Chernobyl" when the miners were asking about fans.

2 posted on 12/01/2019 10:15:14 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: SeekAndFind

If you don’t like the Job you know what you can do


3 posted on 12/01/2019 10:23:59 AM PST by butlerweave
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To: SeekAndFind

Were that job to not exist does not mean a better job (pay & conditions) would naturally take its place.
Ergo, one may either take that job, or make like that job doesn’t exist and go find another job.
No compulsion.
And the job costs Amazon close to what replacing workers with robots would be - don’t make it more expensive thus persuading the switch thereto and ending the jobs.


4 posted on 12/01/2019 10:31:32 AM PST by ctdonath2 (Specialization is for insects.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I have been in three Amazon warehouses. The description in the OP is accurate. I also know many current and former employees. The turn over rate of employees is astronomical. Compared to other warehouse facilities I have been in Amazon is a much more demanding environment.


5 posted on 12/01/2019 10:33:51 AM PST by mad_as_he$$
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To: butlerweave
If you don’t like the Job you know what you can do

Yeah, go to the media and expose their asses! LOL! You don’t have to roll over and take it in the Internet age. There are much better options

6 posted on 12/01/2019 10:36:01 AM PST by southern rock
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To: SeekAndFind

Finally we figured out why every manager in the place was wearing shorts.


slow learners..........................


7 posted on 12/01/2019 10:36:33 AM PST by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Amazon has a high turnover rate in their logistics business.

They measure every employee’s production every shift and apply pressure to those who are not on target.

The problem is that most people cannot handle the pace, pressure and physical demands of the jobs that Amazon has in that element of their conglomerate.

But they know if they take it and bomb out physically and/or mentally...Uncle Sam is there with a check. So people who know they cannot perform take the job. Hoping they won’t be there long.

Amazon cannot decline to hire a fat drunk smoker that’s in their 40s or 50s for obvious legal reasons.

But they should be able to.

Hell, the Whole Foods folks are bitching too. They are expected to re-stock shelves at a measured rate, maintain precise inventory so that just in time supply is efficient, and there are fewer people in the front of the store for checkout and customer service.

They are all busy actually working instead of discussing the latest health food fad or generally making nice with the customers.

Amazon runs the best, most cost-efficient logistics business the world has ever seen, or even dreamed of. Those who want to succeed in it must be young, smart and fit. And they must not have a US Mail Service attitude toward work.

Thus millions of people hate them.


8 posted on 12/01/2019 10:40:25 AM PST by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: butlerweave
If you don’t like the Job you know what you can do

Unionize?
9 posted on 12/01/2019 10:42:42 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: SeekAndFind

People complain about jobs like this and then they bash Trump for getting unemployment to the lowest levels in history. Well what the hell do they think is going to happen if a commie like Sanders is elected and unemployment goes through the roof? People will be begging for jobs like Amazon, and they will pay a hell of a lot less and they will be a hell of a lot more abusive.


10 posted on 12/01/2019 10:51:09 AM PST by GrandJediMasterYoda (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing about liberals.)
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To: SeekAndFind

All the good tech jobs at Scamazon are reserved for H1B Indians and Communist Chinese. In fact, Scamazon is moving all development world to India. Americans? Only low-paid warehouse and delivery driver jobs for you.


11 posted on 12/01/2019 10:54:00 AM PST by Starcitizen (American. No hypenation necessary. Send the H1B and H4EAD slime home. American jobs for Americans)
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To: Mariner

They measure every employee’s production every shift and apply pressure to those who are not on target.


I once worked in a business, in which the salesmen were ranked and measured in a similar manner.

The attitude of the owner/boss of the company, was that he wanted top performing salesmen, and that he wanted to train and mold them into top performers. He knew not all would be able to make the cut, but he had high standards for performance. Those who performed were rewarded, and for those who didn’t meet standards, attempts were made to train them to increase their performance.

If some salesmen were ranked at the bottom two or three months in a row, that salesman would be replaced. The attitude of the boss, was that he would rather cut his losses, and then recruit some new people who might be able to achieve at the higher levels he expected, instead of having to carry lower achieving people who would never be able to improve.

It sounds as if Amazon has some similar employee standards.


12 posted on 12/01/2019 11:00:05 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: SeekAndFind

First world sweatshop in the USA. No wonder people are voting for socialism and bigger gov’t.

I have heard first hand accounts of insane daily production requirements working for Amazon which are near impossible to meet on a regular basis.


13 posted on 12/01/2019 11:00:47 AM PST by setter
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To: SeekAndFind
"Fulfillment centers" instead of "warehouse"

Good God that sounds so leftist

I HAVE NOT BEEN FULFILLED!!!!

"We haven't been fulfilled! Boo hoo hoo! Where is our participation trophy? Boo hoo!


14 posted on 12/01/2019 11:01:05 AM PST by GrandJediMasterYoda (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing about liberals.)
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

I hope we see some similar scenes on Nov. 3, 2020, at Warren/Buttgig/Biden/other Democrat candidate headquarters, as they survey election returns coming in.

It’s fun to go back and watch the news from election night 2016, to see the shock of Wolf Blizter, Rachel Maddow, Van Jones, Young Turks, et. al. as state after state is going to Trump, and they have to report this “shocking” (to liberals) news of how the election returns are going.


15 posted on 12/01/2019 11:06:50 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Dilbert San Diego

If they score everyone against “the average” you will find the best performers in the group with their ankles broken.

Managing against standard deviations from the mean is OK, but expecting everyone to be above an average is mathematically impossible.


16 posted on 12/01/2019 11:19:25 AM PST by Vermont Lt
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To: Dilbert San Diego

It’s fun to go back and watch the news from election night 2016, to see the shock of Wolf Blizter, Rachel Maddow, Van Jones, Young Turks, et. al. as state after state is going to Trump, and they have to report this “shocking” (to liberals) news of how the election returns are going.
*******************************************************************************
I especially enjoyed watching John King, in response to Blitzer’s query, regarding HRC still having a path to winning.

As King went through various scenarios and then concluded-there is no path for HRC victory. The looks at that moment-priceless.


17 posted on 12/01/2019 11:23:24 AM PST by greeneyes
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To: Vermont Lt

True, there’s no way everyone can be above average.

does Amazon accept high turnover as a cost of doing business, as they seek to have a high achieving workforce? Perhaps that is their business model as it pertains to their workers.


18 posted on 12/01/2019 11:28:07 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: SeekAndFind

Totally BS, one thing I like about Amazons is that unlike most shipping warehouses they are clean, well lit and air conditioned. I have seen and been in over 50 Amazon Warehouses and every single one was air conditioned or heated.

I got heat exhaustion in a Frito this year and experienced hell on earth in a Nike in Tennessee. My whole crew declared the would never wear Nike again just over how miserable the working conditions were.

Amazon is in the top three for comfort and employee care.

I may dislike Bezos politics, but he takes care of his people.


19 posted on 12/01/2019 11:34:58 AM PST by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: SeekAndFind
https://www.aboutamazon.com/amazon-fulfillment-center-tours/

I doubt it's really that horrible if they allow people to tour their prison labor camps fulfilment centers. I understand the cell phone and headphone policies, and a parent I know had two children working there. One did not like it, the other got a promotion.

20 posted on 12/01/2019 12:42:41 PM PST by Brellium ("Thou shalt not shilly shally!" Aron Nimzowitsch)
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