"The fact that Amazon has decided to heavily invest in systems to retaliate against freedom of expression about unsafe and unhealthy working conditions, and to refer to organizing efforts as threats against the company equal to those posed by hate groups and terrorism, is unacceptable," the senators wrote. Last week, senators including Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos seeking more information about the steps Amazon takes when it becomes aware of an active organizing campaign. ![]() Politicians, labor unions and workers rights groups also remain skeptical of the company's views on employee organizing. But despite its assurances, some warehouse workers say they view surveillance and the potential for retribution as a threat to unionization efforts. A separate Vice report found Amazon corporate employees were monitoring closed Facebook groups used by contracted Flex drivers to track planned strikes and organizing activity.Īmazon has denied that these programs were designed for detecting and curbing union activity. In September, Vice reported that Amazon's HR department appeared to be monitoring employee listservs that were hotspots for employee activism. ![]() "If a union comes in, they're going to lose some of that control and that's ultimately what they fear most."Īmazon attracted further scrutiny earlier this month after Recode reported that it sought staffing and funds to buy software that would help it better analyze and visualize data on unions, called the geoSPatial Operating Console, or SPOC. "Amazon controls everything from bathroom breaks to communication with other employees," Kochan said. Unions stand to disrupt the level of control that Amazon has over its warehouse and delivery employees, like their ability to unilaterally set the pace of work and hourly wages, said Tom Kochan, a professor of industrial relations, work and employment at MIT. "That was true 20 years ago and it's true today." "Amazon has always been actively trying to dissuade employees from organizing unions," said Marcus Courtney, a longtime labor advocate who attempted to unionize call center workers at Amazon in the early 2000s. facility has successfully formed or joined a union. Labor unions have organized some of Amazon's European workforce, but no U.S. ![]() The company has managed to head off major labor unions since its founding in 1994. Unionizing Amazon's workforce would be an uphill battle. That number doesn't include the tens of thousands of contracted drivers who are responsible for Amazon's last-mile deliveries. Between March and September, the company employed more than 1.37 million front-line Amazon and Whole Foods workers in the U.S.
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