Harsh work conditions in Amazon workplaces

Hawking, like Einstein, was a socialist. Bloody geniuses and their understanding of stuff!

 

Today we are so rich even McDonalds pays $1600 a month so there are a jobs for everyone. 2 workers per family is $3200/ month

 

Yes, in other countries multiple people in the family (and it's usually a big extended family) have to provide money for the household.

America wasn't like this in the 60's. American culture even adapted and started expecting young people to go off on their own and start their own households.
That's not how it worked in places like Vietnam or Mexico.

Today America is changing back, back towards a time long before anyone can remember (maybe the 1890s ?). Back to a time it was unrealistic to expect an 18 year old to be able to go off on their own.

Fortunately, a lot of the workers today come from immigrant backgrounds so they won't see this type of situation as that unusual. American families might have a little more trouble adapting.

 

No idea what your point is or even what subject you are on. So disorganized.

 

Amazon leads in employee accidents injuries


Investigation raises alarm about handling of worker fatality at Indiana Amazon facility

 

No one at Amazon works in conditions harsher than what is quite normal in our trade. They're indoors for God's sake; how hard can it be.

Snowflakes

 

Its a free country maybe they need a side gig or two to get by or have a spouse/significant other to also work to help with the cost of living or live with family. They employer offers benefits to and pay over the minimum wage in most places. Why should they do more they offer the job terms known and you choose to work for them that is their only obligation to workers. As for other issues if they break the law sue them or have government fine them if needed.

 

But stacked in favour of employers, ensuring that market power runs amok. Crikey, its like America-land has never heard of Adam Smith and Classical Economics...

 

Reiver, you realize Amazon is also operating in your country and running into much of the same problems there?

 

Of course. And zero hour contract workers still voted Tory. They've closed down all of the libraries. No one has a copy of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists...

 

I know he has saved me a lot of money and time. Over time, thousands of dollars. Product selection and price are excellent. Orders arrive quickly and are reliably tracked. In some cases I get orders in less than 24 hours. And unlike other vendors, Amazon stands behind the products they sell. Orders that arrive damaged are quickly addressed by an efficient customer service staff.

If I can reliably buy products at a low costs than Amazon, I will do so. Which of course is the way the free market works.

I think what we are seeing in this thread is a lot of comments from communists who hate free market success. As if communism has a track record of being fair.

And here is how communism works.

 

OK. In many ways life sucks. So what actions do propose to create your vision of fairness? I certainly detect an undercurrent of communist ideology in your posts and we know how that approach has turned out.

 

Well, I wouldn't want to work there. As you said, only a job for the young. People need to gain experience and move on.

 

Listed below is the definiton of fascist. Maybe you can explain how that definition applies to someone who risks capital to provide people with goods and services in a free market economy.

a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

 

Well, I think one of the bigger issues to focus on in this story is working conditions.
In a free market, working conditions typically improve and get more reasonable when the balance between supply and demand leans at least a little towards a shortage of labor. When, on the other hand, there is an oversupply of labor, then employers really don't care, because they know there are enough people in the economy that people will keep working there. Either that or they are under financial pressure to drive their employees to work hard, due to market pressures and need to keep prices low to keep up with their competitors.

I think in Amazon's case, one of the issues is the company puts managers under pressure to raise productivity and keep productivity high. Even when that might start getting a little unreasonable for the workers.
There certainly is an element of Marxist analysis that could be applied to this story.

 

Mussolini defined Fascism very precisely.

““Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state,” said Mussolini, in his epistrophic definition of fascism. It is hard to draft a sentence that Trump and his Republican supporters are less likely to utter.”

FINANCIAL TIMES, Don’t be misled by his balcony moment – Donald Trump is no MussoliniUS Politics: The American president’s faults are more libertarian than authoritarian, By Japan Ganesh, Oct 7, 2020.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/wor...moment-donald-trump-is-no-mussolini-1.4374613

Is state capitalism a free enterprise system?

 

Interesting that this thread started in 2017 and I have just posted à thread about Amazon and its business practices this week.
Nothing seems to have changed.
Though I did not réalise they offer shares after two weeks, and suggested they did, the poor pay and conditions still seem to be the same.
I have nothing against capitalism but this company seems to be taking advantage at every level, both personal and in taxation.
My sense of fair play is telling me something is wrong.

 

The nice thing about Amazon is that you can walk in off the street with zero experience or qualifications, without even being able to speak the same language and if you are willing to bust arse, take home a serious amount of money. An above average wage.