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So I guess you won't be applying for a position there.
The only comment I would make is that, as bad as it sounds, only 20 workers (past and present) were interviewed for this piece when, according to the article, anywhere from 900-2000 employees work in the warehouse at any one time depending on the season.
You can't air condition warehouses. Every warehouse in the PLANET is hot in the summer. You can put in fans, and that helps a little with the comfort factor but you can't cool them.
As for "mandatory" overtime, I can tell you that there are a lot of companies that require this, and most likely, the person agrees to this when they are hired.
so 20 of 2000 complained and that is a news story? Would love to see a story from a real news source or one that I am familiar with. Any other sources out there?
Actually, Amazon is right up there with Wal-Mart in terms of how poorly they treat workers. It's Exploitation Central.
And Amazon knows it, or else there wouldn't be paragraphs like this in the article:
Quote:
The supply of temporary workers keeps Amazon's warehouse fully staffed without the expense of a permanent workforce that expects raises and good benefits. Using temporary employees in general also helps reduce the prospect that employees will organize a union that pushes for better treatment because the employees are in constant flux, labor experts say. And Amazon limits its liability for workers' compensation and unemployment insurance because most of the workers don't work for Amazon, they work for the temp agency.
Also, it is indeed possible to have air conditioning in a warehouse. I don't know where people are getting their information when they say it's impossible, but that is simply not true. I've been in climate-controlled warehouses, myself.
[youtube]VDdDug1GbD4[/youtube]
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDdDug1GbD4"]Florida Air Conditioned Warehouse Tour - YouTube[/URL]
I wonder if there any relationship between people's "outrage" over the treatment of low skill workers and a personal lack of putting effort into improving one's own employment prospects...
Most people would say coding at Amazon is probably a could gig, and if one felt "abused" one could easily take their skills to some other top tier employer. No doubt the politicians that offered incentives to locate the warehouse in some rust belt area are looking out for their own interest in trying to secure enough jobs so their "district" does not evaporate and they lose their cushy gig "representing" a dying area. Quite an interesting development. I can't wait for the Michael Moore "documentary"...
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