While Amazon has been able to stay ahead of growing efforts at labor organizing in the U.S., at least for the time being, union workers at an Amazon facility in the UK midlands have walked off the job in protest over pay, a first in the country, according to several media reports.
Federal prosecutors in New York and OSHA officials are investigating working conditions at Amazon warehouses around the country, according to various media reports, beginning in New York, Orlando and Chicago. The OSHA inspections arose from referrals issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
The NLRB on Feb. 5 denied Amazon’s request to delay a planned union vote at its fulfillment center in Bessemer, AL, clearing the way for a vote by mail-in ballot beginning Monday and continuing through March 29. A positive vote would be the first chink in Amazon’s formidable anti-union wall, but experts say it’s a long shot.
Workers at an Amazon fulfillment center in Minnesota are planning to rain on the company’s Prime Day parade, organizing a walk-off to call attention to working conditions, employee status and pay, according to a report in Bloomberg. The workers plan to stage two three-hour walk-offs on different shifts on Monday, July 15.
While we can’t change the weather, with minimal effort we can help mitigate exposure when the inevitable transpires. By taking a few simple yet often overlooked steps, even as the calendar has turned into 2019, logistics managers can effectively maintain a safer warehouse operation through the coldest months.
Warehouse workers made their voices heard twice recently, both times involving Amazon and unionization, while in New Jersey labor groups are seeking safer conditions and better pay in ecommerce facilities statewide. Expect the unionization push to pick up momentum in 2019 as reports of poor working conditions continue to grow.
After staying suppressed for years, wages are increasing well ahead of inflation for warehouse workers, driven by a strong economy as well as the scarcity of labor for operations and fulfillment positions, according to an annual survey of associates conducted by Prologistix. See what else the survey found, and where rates are headed.
Merchants are seeing a tight market for holiday peak workers in distribution and fulfillment centers, as competition and wages increase. See what staffing professionals and a top retailer have to say about the trend, and how to address it.