“We have to keep up with the pace. My workday feels like an intense nine-hour workout every day. And they track our movements – if your computer doesn’t scan, you’re accused of being free time,” said Bates, a learning ambassador who helps in training other employees at the facility and who has been an outspoken organizer behind the union action. “I learned from the start that if I worked too slowly or had too much free time, I could be disciplined or even fired.”
Bates was invited by Senator Bernie Sanders to speak on the topic “Income and wealth inequality crisis in America”. Outgoing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was also invited to speak, but declined the offer. In a statement last week, an Amazon spokesperson said, “We fully endorse Senator Sanders’ efforts to reduce income inequality with legislation to increase the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour for all employees, as we did for ours in 2018. . ”
“We take employee feedback seriously, including Ms. Bates’s, but we don’t believe her comments represent the more than 90% of her colleagues in the fulfillment center who say they would recommend Amazon as a great place to work for friends and family, ”an Amazon spokesman said in a statement Wednesday. The spokesperson added that Amazon employees “earn at least $ 15 an hour, receive comprehensive health care and paid time off”.
Bates described 10-hour shifts with only two 30-minute breaks that “are not long enough to give you time to rest” given the sheer size of the facility.
“Just the long way to the bathroom and walking back is a costly break,” said Bates, who said elevators in the facility had signage that said “they were for material only, not riders.” “I couldn’t believe they built a facility with so many elevators for materials and that the workers had to take the stairs on a massive four-flight facility.”
As CNN Business has previously reported, Amazon has conducted an aggressive anti-union campaign leading up to the vote. Employees were often briefed on Amazon’s view that a union is an unnecessary expense. Workers saw anti-union signs on the toilets; they were drawn to one-on-one meetings on the warehouse floor and also had to attend group meetings every few shifts. The company sent numerous text messages to employees and launched an anti-union website that warns against paying dues: “Don’t buy that dinner, don’t buy those school supplies, don’t buy those gifts, because you don’t have nearly $ 500 in dues. paid. “
“It’s frustrating that we just want Amazon to be a better place to work. Yet Amazon is acting like they are under attack. If they spent less time and money stopping the union, they might hear what we And maybe they would create a company that is as good for employees and our community as it is for shareholders and executives, ”Bates said.
“Why can’t such a large and prosperous company do better for their employees?” Bates said. “Amazon even took away our indispensable wages during the pandemic. Meanwhile, Amazon has made tons of money during this crisis. Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world. And now he’s even richer thanks to us workers.”