Amazon has found huge success in promoting a variety of products to customers and are well known for their fast shipping through Amazon Prime. However, it does raise a bit of curiosity as to how this company is currently so wealthy and successful. Over the last few weeks, Amazon has made many important changes regarding their employees and head office. While this is news in itself, attention has been brought to employees in Alabama as they have been making their best efforts to speak up against the injustice they feel they are experiencing.
A lot of the success tied to Amazon Prime is due to the delivery drivers who bring your packages right to your doorstep in a timely fashion. If you can recall, Amazon was previously thrown under fire when it was revealed that they were withholding a portion of their drivers’ tip money. It was announced on Feb. 2 that Amazon will have to pay out $61.7 million to Flex drivers. It has been reported that Amazon has been withholding these tips for over two years.
It has also been reported that Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, will be stepping down from his position to fill the role of Executive Chair. This transition is said to be occurring in the third quarter of 2021. It is rumored that Andy Jassy will be filling the Chief Executive Officer position. There is a current call for action directed towards Jassy. Many Amazon customers and associates have put pressure on him to improve labor relations and find more eco-friendly packaging for the products they produce and sell. The reasoning behind this transition has not been confirmed, but this does not distract from the current voices emphasized by Amazon employees in Alabama.
It comes as no surprise that Amazon is one of the wealthiest companies in the world. Even after paying back tip money to all the Flex drivers, Amazon will still continue to grow and thrive in profits. There has been an influx of complaints from employees discussing the poor working conditions they have to face while working for Amazon. These include stories from long walks to the bathroom to barely working air conditioning. Workers in Besser, Alabama, want to create a U.S. union, but they have reported supposed attempts from Amazon to prevent this from happening. The town reported having the lowest income in the state and is fighting for respect from this wealthy company. Workers have reported Amazon changing stoplights to avoid communication between workers, have seen anti-union advertisements in their bathroom stalls, were invited to anti-union meetings where they were told they would lose benefits and have seen signs telling them to “vote no” for the union. Amazon has yet to reply to the town’s claims.
Some people think of Amazon as their go-to method for ordering products, their source for technology, or the fastest source to get what they need delivered. While Amazon does this well, there have been claims of suspicious activity going on, and their employees and media platforms are gaining a lot of attention regarding these issues. Will Amazon respond to the people of Alabama? Will we hear from Jess Bezos? The questions continue to arise during this time.
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