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Post by Admin on Mar 22, 2020 6:29:38 GMT
Amazon has become a lifeline for many people desperate to buy household essentials without stepping out of their homes amid the coronavirus outbreak, but some Amazon warehouse workers are plagued by anxiety that their jobs could put their lives, or the lives of their families, at risk. While Amazon has taken a number of steps in recent days to protect workers — including discontinuing stand-up meetings where workers gathered en masse and allowing workers to take unlimited unpaid days off — several warehouse employees and industry experts told CNN Business they feel the company should be doing more to shield those at the core of its business who can’t do their jobs from home. Warehouse workers are petitioning the company to provide paid sick leave regardless of whether someone tests positive for coronavirus, given how difficult it can be to get access to a test. They’re asking for facilities to be shut down and for workers to be tested for coronavirus when a positive case is found. In interviews, some raised concerns about pressure to work longer hours, lack of worker screening for possible symptoms, and adequate social distancing measures. “For me, it creates a lot of anxiety but I have no control. Once I enter that building, I can only do my part,” said Rina Cummings, a part-time package sorter who works weekends at Amazon’s Staten Island, New York, facility. “Amazon is telling people to wash their hands, but I still notice people aren’t doing it. Nobody is really coming around to ask people if they’re OK, if they’re feeling sick. I feel like they’re not as proactive as they should be.” In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said, “the vast majority of our employees around the world continue to come to work and serve the people in their communities in a way that very few can—delivering critical supplies directly to the doorsteps of people who need them.” “We are going to great lengths to keep the buildings extremely clean and help employees practice important precautions such as social distancing and other measures,” the spokesperson added. “Those who don’t want to come to work are welcome to use paid and unpaid time off options and we support them in doing so.” The expectations on Amazon during this crisis are massive. The company announced this week that it is shifting temporarily to prioritize household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into fulfillment centers. And while the S&P 500 has dropped 28% in the last month amid coronavirus concerns, Amazon’s stock has gone down just 13%. The pressure is put on its warehouse workers, who were already bearing the brunt of the company’s shift to one-day delivery. There is so much need for people to come in amid the pandemic that Amazon announced plans to hire 100,000 more workers in the United States to keep up with demand. The company already counts 400,000 workers across its warehouse facilities in the US.
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Post by Admin on Mar 22, 2020 19:51:35 GMT
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said "things are going to get worse before they get better" but "people are depending on us" in a weekend message to employees amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bezos' message comes after the ecommerce giant confirmed an employee at a small New York warehouse tested positive for the virus. But Amazon said it is looking to hire 100,000 new workers for its U.S. warehouse and delivery wings in order to keep pace with rising demand for items including hand sanitizer, baby formula and medical supplies. "We’ve implemented a series of reventative health measures for employees and contractors at our sites around the world — everything from increasing the frequency and intensity of cleaning to adjusting our practices in fulfillment centers to ensure the recommended social distancing guidelines," Bezos said.
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Post by Admin on Mar 24, 2020 7:19:58 GMT
Amazon announced earlier this week that it would start prioritizing the most in-demand essential items in its warehouses, as the e-commerce giant struggles to keep up with customer demand during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. On Sunday, customers and Amazon merchants posted on social media platforms saying certain nonessential items were showing April 21 delivery dates, even though they were listed as in-stock and shipping with Amazon’s Prime express shipping service. During normal times, Amazon Prime deliveries typically arrive in one or two days in the US. Now, some Prime deliveries for in-stock items are showing five-day delivery promises on the lower end, but those waits are as long as a month on some items. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to Recode on Sunday evening that the new April 21 delivery dates are not the result of a technical bug or error; they accurately reflect Amazon’s current reality. “To serve our customers in need while also helping to ensure the safety of our associates, we’ve changed our logistics, transportation, supply chain, purchasing, and third-party seller processes to prioritize stocking and delivering items that are a higher priority for our customers,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “This has resulted in some of our delivery promises being longer than usual.” The significant delivery delays showcase just how much shoppers are turning to online shopping during the global health crisis, and how even an online retailer as technologically advanced and powerful as Amazon can only do so much to handle such an unexpected, once-in-a-generation shopping rush. On Tuesday, Amazon acknowledged the challenges it was facing when it said it would only accept new stock in its warehouses through early April if it was in one of six essential products categories, such as health and household goods or medical supplies. The company also said it was looking to hire 100,000 new workers to help sort, package, and deliver goods for customers. The trade-off Amazon is making, for now, is that some items like printer ink and coffee makers — which don’t fall into the six different product categories Amazon is currently prioritizing as essential — are showing delivery delays unlike anything Amazon customers have experienced in recent memory. It’s unclear if Amazon will refund Prime membership fees — either partially or fully — if the delays continue. Amazon Prime costs $119 a year in the US and comes with other perks beyond express shipping like video and music streaming. On Twitter, customers cited April 21 delivery dates for items as varied as computer monitor cables to espresso machines. One person complained that he tried to order cables that he’d “normally go to Guitar Center and grab,” but Amazon could only deliver them by April 21. That’s the same date Recode found when we looked up similar cables on Sunday night.
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Post by Admin on Mar 26, 2020 7:44:17 GMT
As online retail behemoth Amazon is deluged with orders from people sequestered at home during the coronavirus pandemic, workers in at least eight of the company’s U.S. warehouses have contracted the disease in recent days.
The growing number of COVID-19 cases, as well as reports of questionable practices at Amazon facilities, have prompted employees and others to demand the company do more to protect its staff.
Since last week, Amazon warehouses in Staten Island and Queens, New York; Jacksonville, Florida.; Oklahoma City; Brownstown, Michigan; Katy, Texas; Wallingford, Connecticut; and Shepherdsville, Kentucky, have reported cases of COVID-19 among workers.
A company spokesperson told The Washington Post that Amazon was “supporting the individuals” who are affected, “following guidelines from local officials, and are taking extreme measures to ensure the safety of all the employees at our sites.”
This includes more regularly sanitizing door handles, handrails and touch screens; and staggering break times to allow for better social distancing, the spokesperson said.
Amazon workers say the company needs to do more to protect its people.
Hundreds of Amazon employees and contractors have signed an online petition expressing concern “about the company’s lack of protective measures” — and have asked for paid sick leave, child care pay and subsidies, and hazard pay, among other demands.
“While Amazon has made some limited coronavirus accommodations, it needs a comprehensive plan to ensure the safety of all of its workers and the larger public,” the petition reads.
“As the pandemic unfolds, the demand for home-delivery is increasing, leading to near peak-level volume across the network,” it continues. “As we continue to provide this valuable service to our communities, we must ensure that we are adequately protected.”
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