Amazon warehouse workers confess the fears faced by the new coronavirus pandemic



With the spread of the new coronavirus, in Japan, schools and other educational facilities, theaters and cinemas, exhibition halls, halls and public halls, gymnasiums and bowling alleys in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Fukuoka Prefectures, etc. Closed requests have been made for athletic facilities such as, and entertainment facilities such as cabarets and nightclubs. In many countries around the world, many companies have been requested to take leave due to the blockade of the city, but workers working at Amazon's warehouse can not stand by at home and have a lot of anxiety about having to continue working I have

Nine Amazon workers describe the daily risks they face in the pandemic | Ars Technica

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/04/9-amazon-workers-describe-the-daily-risks-they-face-in-the-pandemic/

Workers who deliver packages and grocery products while working at Amazon's fulfillment centers may be directly employed by Amazon or employees of contractors. Fulfillment center employees are working with fear of when they and their families will become infected with the new coronavirus, many of whom say, `` Amazon is taking enough steps to ensure their safety. It is not a thing '.

According to the New York Times , Amazon has more than 500 warehouses in the United States, 50 of which are affected by the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Outbreaks have triggered workers in warehouses in Detroit, New York and Chicago.

Employees dissatisfied with Amazon's new coronavirus infection measures started strike-gigazine



Politicians are also skeptical of Amazon's new anti-coronavirus measures, including Bernie Sanders, Corey Booker, Robert Menendez, and Sherod Brown, who told Jeff Bezos the company's CEO. Wrote a letter asking for an answer on security measures at the company, saying, 'If Amazon was unable to keep workers safe, not only would employees be at risk, but the entire country would be at risk. '.

In addition, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced that it is investigating Amazon's warehouse in Pennsylvania for allegedly failing to keep Amazon's workers healthy. Employees at the Amazon warehouse in California filed similar complaints with state and county regulators on the same day.

In response, Amazon spokeswoman said, 'Our employees are heroes who struggle for the community and help people get what they need in crisis situations. Is working hard to keep its employees safe, like all companies working on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, while serving the community and the most vulnerable. Has three times the elaborate cleaning to keep employees safe, procure available safety supplies, and changes the rules to keep people in the warehouse at a safe distance. '' .

In addition, Amazon claims to have made more than 150 changes to protect employees, such as distributing face masks to all employees, introducing rules to maintain social distance, and reducing shift start times. It seems to be shifting and increasing the distance between workstations. In addition, they said that they checked the temperature of the employees when they arrived at the company to check for fever. However, given that many people infected with the new coronavirus are asymptomatic, it is unclear if the measures are adequate. In addition, Amazon says it has increased the wage of hourly workers and changed the system to allow unpaid leave until the end of April.



However, a person in his early forties working in an Amazon warehouse said, 'I have been working with Amazon for several years with my partners. We consider our work the best and love the work itself. Apart from how the company treats its employees, it's uncomfortable to be treated as if it were disposable: for weeks after the pandemic of the new coronavirus, we used unpaid leave So I think next month's salary checks will only pay for six hours of work, and my mother, who lives with me, has a pacemaker and stays home. I don't want to go to work if my salary runs out. In fact, I'm struggling with this month's payment method. '

The man added, 'Amazon notified employees of their own news, stating that they needed to make sure that the scanners used during shipping were disinfected. Scanner disinfection seems to kill employees, because they are responsible for shipping a certain number of items each time, and there's a revolving door at the main entrance, I have never seen this revolving door being cleaned. More than 900 people are working in my warehouse and there are three doorways. However, one of the employees who worked here was infected with the new coronavirus, 'he questioned measures to maintain hygiene.

A person in the early 30s who sells food to employees who work in Amazon's warehouse commented, 'My working warehouse is so small that it is impossible to maintain social distance.' The person also said that his 16-year-old son had type 1 diabetes and was worried about bringing the virus home.

`` Five minutes ago, we found that one of the workers in the warehouse had a positive response, as an employee of a delivery contractor with Amazon who delivers the company's products. However, Amazon has not closed the warehouse, they have not done anything, so far little information has been obtained about the new coronavirus, and Amazon has not communicated with my boss, I don't know anything.The only way to know what's going on is to check the website online, and it turns out that someone is already infected with the virus Later, the courier was informed for the first time that he could use wipes and gloves, and I was trying to get my job done while keeping a social distance of 1.8 meters, but had the goods brought to my hand. I have four grandchildren, two children, a wife, and two dogs, and I may not be the age group most vulnerable to the new coronavirus. But it feels very scary, and I hope that Amazon will go one step further and protect our warehouse workers. '

in Note, Posted by logu_ii