Amazon Can Only Claim Their Jobs Are Decent Because American Work Has Gotten So Miserable
Amazon maims its workers and drives wages down, yet the company still attracts job applicants and claims to provide “good jobs.” Those claims were strong enough to play a role in the defeat of a union effort in Bessemer, Alabama — but that says less about Amazon than it does about the miserable state of the labor market.
The Bessemer fulfillment center where Amazon workers voted against forming the company’s first union. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, just voted two to one against joining a union. In the run-up to the election, company representatives touted the great jobs Amazon provides. “Our employees choose to work at Amazon because we offer some of the best jobs available everywhere we hire, and we encourage anyone to compare our total compensation package, health benefits, and workplace environment to any other company with similar jobs,” said one spokesperson.
Amazon’s message was at odds with reality. Even in low-wage Alabama, Amazon’s wages are well below the area’s median wage and just below the median for transportation industry jobs. Similar jobs elsewhere in the United States pay considerably more (although pay is dropping as Amazon enters more labor markets). Meanwhile, thousands of Amazon workers rely on food stamps to make ends meet.
As for workplace environment, the backbreaking pace and constant monitoring lead some workers to claim that Amazon treats them like robots, not humans. Many resort to peeing in bottles to avoid being penalized for “time off task.” Injuries in Amazon warehouses are more than double the industry average, and the company has failed to protect workers against coronavirus.
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