![]() ![]() More like this: Pandemic sparks unionization jolt across Georgia.Ĭambias’ own experience working for Amazon sheds some light on why he helped organize the walkout. “While we’re always listening and looking for ways to improve, we remain proud of the pay, benefits and working conditions we already provide our teams in Doraville,” said an Amazon spokesperson in an email. According to Cambias, they can earn just 24 hours of PTO annually, which differs from Amazon’s stated policy.Īmazon, which is no stranger to Prime Day labor actions, said it is not currently planning to meet the Doraville warehouse workers’ demands. They are demanding a permanent $3 per hour pay increase, to match their pay during peak holiday shipping season, and 24 more hours of paid time off each year. The 16 workers from the Doraville warehouse who walked out were supported by 70 total participants, Cambias said, adding that local and regional managers had to come in to replace them. “But when it comes to direct shop floor action, they don’t know how to deal with it.”Ĭambias said that instead of going the ALU route of organizing a union election and attempting to bring Amazon to the negotiating table – which can take months or years – the Doraville workers are collaborating with Amazonians United, a national collective of Amazon workers which takes a direct, shop-floor action approach through petitions and walkouts. ![]() “Amazon has a robust union-busting plan,” Cambias said. Last year the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health named Amazon as one of the most dangerous places to work in the United States, citing seven warehouse worker’s deaths at Amazon facilities in the US since 2013.Amid a rising wave of Amazon labor actions nationally, Atlanta Civic Circle talked to Patricio Cambias, one of the Doraville organizers, about why they walked out, Amazon’s response – and why, for now at least, they are opting for direct actions, like the walkout, instead of trying to unionize.Ĭambias, 29, who’s an hourly worker at the Doraville DTG5 warehouse, said he and the other employees who walked out fully support the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) and its successful union win, along with other Amazon unionization drives – but they want to take action more quickly in an effort to get their demands met. ![]() Employees in Germany and Italy also protested during Black Friday in 2017 for similar reasons. Workers claim that conditions are so strenuous that people have collapsed on the job from exhaustion. Last year’s protests were focused on the long working hours required by employees an Amazon’s facilities, which often do not result in bonuses for those employees. Workers have held a number of protests over the years including a demonstration during Prime Day last year that included employees in Italy, The United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain. It also said that 90% of the employees at the Minnesota plant are full time.Įuropean Amazon workers are no stranger to protesting. In the case of the Minnesota employees, Amazon noted that it already offers employees above-average wages ranging from $16.25 to $20.80 with benefits and that it has held the same productivity requirements for the facility since November 2018. Workers at a warehouse on Portland, Oregon complained of sweltering heat and constant piercing alarms at that facility. The Minnesota employees said that Amazon has failed to convert temporary employees into full-time ones and that the company often sets productivity quotas that are unsafe for employees. Those employees planned to strike for three hours at the start of the day shift and three hours at the start of the evening shift to put pressure on Amazon to offer employees safe and reliable jobs. Warehouse employees in Shakopee, Minnesota are also protesting the company. Germany wasn’t the only place Amazon workers were protesting on Monday. We’ve reached out to Amazon for comment, but have yet to hear back. ![]() More than 2,000 people reportedly participated in the strike. “While Amazon throws huge discounts to its customers on Prime Day, employees lack a living wage,” said Orhan Akman of Germany’s Verdi union, which helped organize the event. ![]()
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