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Amazon Ethics
6
Amazon Ethics
Dylan Slok
ENGL 2100
October 14th
What is Amazon Shopping?
Back
Ground Info
Amazon Shopping, a household name and now global superpower, is considered to be one of the most influctional economic forces in the world. Its wide selection of items from electronics to beauty products makes it the most purchased from store in the world.
Revenue
Amazon Shoppping in the year 2021 brought in a total revenue of nearly $233 billion. Averaging almost 23 million sales each day.
Yearly profit
Employee and Locations
Amazon Shopping has employed over 1.3 million employees across their over 1 million warehouses and shipping centers across the globe. With their headquarters being located in Seattle Washington.
Employees
and Locations
WorkPlace Enviroment
The workplace environment of over 1 million distribution centers and warehouses have recently been called into question. Upon starting at amazon, employees will be forced to achieve stressful workplace goals that prioritize speed over safety and quality. Employees that don't meet these goals may suffer from termination. According to the National Council of Occupational Safety, Amazon is listed as one of the most dangerous employers in the whole United States.
Workplace Enviroment
To add to the neglective culture of Amazon many employees have reported not being accurately paid. Tara Jones, a single mother in Oklahoma, was rightfully outraged when her check wasn't accurate. Working at Amazon is not only physically draining but also mentally, the damage that amazon does affects employees off the clock. According to reports 66% of employees have suffered difficulties sleeping and over 49% have experienced psychological stress. This is the main reason that Amazon suffers from the highest turnover rate in the country.
Workplace Injury
Injuries at Amazon are not uncommon; the Washington Post describes how bad the situation really is “serious injury rates are nearly double of other non-Amazon warehouses”. In the same article statistics showed that out of all injuries sustained while working at amazon, 89% were so severe that workers were forced to leave.
In 2017 Phillip Lee Terry was brutally crushed by a forklift, state investigators found that Amazon was to blame for the incident. Amazon was only fined $28,000 for the incident. This isn't just a one time accident that occured, July 13, 2022 a man from New Jersey was found lying unconscious and later passed away. The man was reported to be laying on the ground for nearly 20 minutes before anyone noticed. The company claimed that the individual (whose name has never been released) had previous medical issues that played a significant role in the man's death. However the upper floor where the man collapsed was known for having very high temperatures. There have been 4 other cases of individuals dying at amazon facilities.
Workplace Injury
Amazon Drivers
Amazon Drivers
Being an amazon driver is just as stressful as being on the floor, maybe even more so. Drivers are expected to deliver 175 to 375 packages each shift which results in reckless driving. Falling behind is something that still is a major concern for amazon employees, the concern is so great that drivers have reportedly urinated in bottles to avoid having to pull over and find a latrine. Amazon denied these allegations and said that they provide plenty of breaks to employees when on their shift. Amazon later after heavy backlash apologized for their mistake. The lack of basic human rights for employees is shameful. To make things worse they earn roughly $6 less than UPS workers doing the same job
Van
Inspections
Van Inspections
The vehicles that are delivering us the items that we want are often not safe to be on the road. Reports of jammed doors, broken backup cameras, bald tires, broken seatbelts and check engine lights being on is only the start of issues that most Amazon vans include. Drivers of said vans are advised to skip through the vehicle inspection and just to ignore damage. If a van were to be taken out of commission to be repaired less packages are going to be delivered meaning that amazon avoids fixing damage in fear of not being able to meet goals.
Driving Experience
The story of an amazon driver tells us all we need to know about the job. While delivering one day the driver accidentally smashed his hand in the sliding door causing severe damage to his hand. Seeing bone and without health insurance, he rushed to the onsite doctor at the amazon warehouse. When arriving he was met by his manager who asked him if he finished his deliveries, after stating he had not and was in need of medical attention the manger claimed that he had “seen babies with bigger wounds” and to keep delivering. The driver quit on the spot.
The Driving Experience
Union Busting
Union Busting
Hundreds of people around the world have tried to stand up against the mistreatment and safety issues of amazon. For example Cunnigham and Costa are activists for climate justice and safety rights, were fired by amazon right before their first meeting. This isn't the first time that amazon has tried to silence individuals who were speaking up. In Campbellsville Kentucky Matt Litrell had the police called on him by an amazon manager for distributing posters wanting a union. Unjust firing is common especially when it comes to the creation of Unions. However in the state of Alabama a union of over 6,000 employees has formed advocating for better pay and working conditions.
Tax Avoidance
Tax Avoidance
Amazon even after having a record year in sales somehow avoided all tax, how is this possible? In order to avoid tax amazon chose to register in Luxembourg which is tax free. By doing this amazon avoids the nearly $5 billion in taxes it would have to pay. Tax avoidance gives corporations an unfair advantage and also hurts the country. If corporations continue to avoid tax the US might be forced into tax competition to entice corporations to set up in the country.