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I think the reason people dont like it is because there is no clear line of citizenship status. ANYONE can be in this situation so it is spooky. At least in rome if you were a roman citizen you knew you would never be apart of the slave class so in that case I would buy into what happy in wyoming is saying but the problem is we are seeing multi generational US citizens having to take such jobs which means it can happen to anyone. Anyone of us could be laid off and forced to take a job like this.
There is nothing insulating the citizen class from the slave class, anyone is fair game for exploitation which creates a paranoid society, no one is going to be spending squat because there is nothing insulating them from abuse but their bank account. At least back in the 1800's during slavery you knew where you stood, you were either a slave or you were not, there was no "one lay off away from slavery".
I personally buy products from amazon, my problem is the blurry line between slave and citizen. I dont mind the amazon warehouse as long as I dont have to work there. Arguabley a nation like rome or the USA can not exist without a surf class, I simply dont want to be apart of it and with the lines so blurry it makes things spooky. Makes for one heck of a civil war when 98% of the people are of the surf class, thats why rome did not allow that, the slaves were carefully controled.
US citizenship does not carry the value that it once did becuase too many people have it, its like that with anything, if everyone has a degree in rocket science then they will make 2$/hr.
Last edited by highlife2; 09-21-2011 at 01:05 PM..
All I'm reading is a bunch of whining about having to work long hours in hot conditions. If ya don't want the job, don't do it! With so many American's being out of shape, it would make sense that a lot of workers would pass out. If they can't do the job in the conditions, they should be terminated, they are not the right people for the job.
And if someone is too stupid to drink water, that's not Amazons fault. When you work in hot conditions, you drink tons of water. If your not peeing some of it out, it's a sign that you should be drinking more. Amazon was nice enough to provide cooling bandannas free of charge. That's more than I was ever given. Sounds like they are at least trying. Most warehouses and many factories operate under these types of conditions. And was this much of a problem 3 or 4 generations ago??? Sounds like American's are just getting soft. If they tried to air condition these places, the prices would be too high and customers would go elsewhere. Not Amazons fault!
As far as their dependence on temp workers... Guess what, many businesses have switched to using tons of temps. Business conditions change in a whim, and it's much easier to tell 1000 temps not to come in next week than to fire 1000 workers. Employees are more expensive, with benefits and raises... If they relied on all employees, American's would shop elsewhere! Not Amazons fault! You don't like the system, blame yourself and your fellow penny pinching American's. Welcome to the race to the bottom, enjoy your ride.
Amazon has a warehouse in LasVegas, probably because there is a lot of cheap labor available here. It's a tough job and very physical. They have pickers who assemble the orders and packers who prepare your order for shipping. Both are timed on everything they do and re-evaluated constantly. It's all done by the numbers. Pickers and packers are the jobs that are usually available.
They hire here mostly through agencies and the majority of their jobs are seasonal or part time. That way they pay no benefits or vacation. Last year they were scheduling 4x10's, night shift, for $12.63 per hour during the holidays. Day shift pays a little less.
I took and passed their tests along with a friend last year but we were never called to work. There were too many ahead of us on the list. I figured it would be a great workout. They said you could count on walking 12+ miles a day as a picker.
You wonder wrong. I'm college-educated, worked nothing but white collar jobs for the 20+ years after I graduated, and am now in business for myself.
However, having worked in a factory, and having family members who worked in warehouse jobs, I can promise you that such jobs do not HAVE to mean miserable working conditions. Moreover, empathy and compassion aside, treating workers well is simply good business because eventually word of exploitation gets out, and here we are.
Don't drink the Kool-Aid offered by those who try to get the middle class to eat itself. Unless you are in 2% at the top, you're one of us.
Unlike this poster, I assume none of you have ever worked in a non-air conditioned/non-heated warehouse? It's NOT fun. Get back to me when you have and see if you feel the same way.
Unlike this poster, I assume none of you have ever worked in a non-air conditioned/non-heated warehouse? It's NOT fun. Get back to me when you have and see if you feel the same way.
I have worked in nothing but hot factories most of my working life thank you. It ain't that bad. If you can't handle the heat, stay outta the kitchen, or the warehouse in this case. Work was never meant to be fun, that's why they pay you.
I have worked in nothing but hot factories most of my working life thank you. It ain't that bad. If you can't handle the heat, stay outta the kitchen, or the warehouse in this case. Work was never meant to be fun, that's why they pay you.
Hmm, that's strange. I have fun at work. I must be doing something wrong.
Hmm, that's strange. I have fun at work. I must be doing something wrong.
Who said I don't have fun at work? I don't expect that to be on the list of top priorities for any boss though. There's nothing saying work can't be enjoyable, but for many, it isn't it seems.
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You can air condition a warehouse of any size, but would have to be crazy to do so because of the equipment and electricity cost, and the
ineffectiveness.
A warehouse where things are stored and rarely move in or out is one thing, but a place like Amazon with shipments going in and out all hours means large doors open. Even truck docks open just before arrival will allow a lot of cool air to escape and hot air to come in.
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