Amazon warehouse working conditions savaged by the RWDSU

Amazon’s
warehouse working conditions were criticized by the
RWDSU.
REUTERS/Fred
Greaves

• Amazon’s employment practices have been labelled
  “deadly and dehumanizing” in a report by a New York labor
  union.
• The report also criticizes Amazon’s anti-union stance,
  the destruction of brick-and-mortar stores, and its history of
  facilitating the sale of white supremacist products.
• It represents a hostile welcome for Amazon after it
  announced this month that Long Island, New York City, will be
  the home of its HQ2 headquarters, along with Virginia.

A New York labor union has published
a damning report on Amazon, just as the company prepares to
move into New York City under its HQ2 headquarters plan.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU)
published the report on Wednesday, honing in on Amazon’s “deadly
and dehumanizing employment practices” in warehouses and its
anti-union activities

The RWDSU also criticized the destruction of brick-and-mortar
retailers, and Amazon’s record of
facilitating the sale of racist and white supremacist
products.

The 13-page RWDSU report was mainly drawn from information
already in the public domain, including previous press coverage
and other assessments of Amazon working conditions.

The union pointed to what it sees as a pattern of preventable
deaths at Amazon warehouses, citing a National Council for
Occupational Safety and Health investigation which found seven
people had died working in fulfilment centers.

It also made reference to
a New York Times piece from 2011, which reported that during
a heatwave, Amazon paid to have ambulances stationed outside a
Pennsylvania warehouse.

Read more:

Amazon reportedly left police in Spain ‘dumbfounded’ by asking
them to intervene in a mass warehouse strike and patrol worker
productivity

It also drew on reports from the UK, in which
undercover journalist James Bloodworth said he found a bottle of
urine, as workers feared they would be punished if they took
a bathroom break.

The union also criticized Amazon’s anti-union efforts, referring
to
a training video obtained by Gizmodo which gave managers tips
for spotting “warning signs” that workers may be starting to
unionise.

Amazon revealed earlier this month that
it would split its new HQ2 headquarters between Long Island, New
York City, and Virginia. The announcement has already drawn
some backlash from New Yorkers, some of whom
stormed an Amazon store in protest on Monday.

Amazon declined to comment on the RWDSU report, but did pour
scorn on Bloodworth’s undercover reporting. “This is a tired
narrative created to sell a book and despite his negative
experience and views on the company, Bloodworth found no issues
selling on Amazon,” a spokeswoman said.