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Amazon Workers Unionize!

No, but I have worked DIRECTLY with unions, mostly the UAW.
Doing what?
I have been in the "belly of the beast" in numerous auto plants. Was a supervisor for UAW trades and production for a couple of years as well. I know exactly what goes on there, can't imagine it is much better than a government union.
Your perspective is entirely shaped from an adversarial management vs employee relationship. You, being on management’s side.

In other words, you were the boss’ tool.
So much for your union "protection". What the heck are you paying dues for if they allow this to happen
Our local union president was buddy buddy with members of management. Most of us filed numerous grievances that went nowhere.

I eventually got fed up, contacted my Congressional Rep, and quit the union. Management never tried to push me around again.
That is unfortunate. Sorry to hear that, perhaps another line of work?
Another line of work isn’t the solution.

Following the national agreement is.
 
You seem to be ignoring the fact that customers (and investors) are people too. If union made widgets cost more than non-union made widgets then how does the customer benefit from buying union made widgets?
If that customer is an American, they benefit from being in a nation which is not so dependent on foreign trade.

Anybody who buys individual stocks is not being very wise.
 
That doesn't happen with every union any more than the worst of corporate behavior is found in every corporation.
 
That doesn't happen with every union any more than the worst of corporate behavior is found in every corporation.
There may be decent unions out there, I have never found one but there still may be some
 
It would be a mere temporary nuisance to Amazon. The customers are not walking away over it.
 
Thanks for the first-person reflection of how it is. I agree.
 
It's Amazon. They count the workers' steps. Workers are afraid to drink enough water while on the job because if they take time to go to the bathroom the company detects a reduction of production because of the bathroom break and pressures the worker not to do that again. Workers can't even walk at a normal pace. They have to hustle the whole time or they get replaced.

There is not going to be a situation where workers are goofing off because of union rules. The union is not interested in hurting Amazon, merely looking out for worker rights, something Amazon will not do.
 
The building is set up as a consumer stock warehouse. If it is sold, the competition would get it. Amazon might not want to do that.
 

Hmm… do you expect the union will not seek to change that (bolded above)? If each worker moves more slowly then either production drops or more workers are needed.
 

There is a story of an Amazon warehouse that was so hot inside with no AC that temps rose to 115 degrees. No extra breaks were allowed, and Amazon workers are afraid to drink water on the job because if they go to the bathroom they get dinged for losing productivity. Amazon could have allowed the workers to take extra breaks, feel like they could drink water, but no. Instead, Amazon paid to have ambulances standing by outside for when workers dropped of heat exhaustion. And if they did, there were replaced with fresh on-call workers.
Temporary employees said few people in their working groups actually made it to a permanent Amazon position. Instead, they said they were pushed harder and harder to work faster and faster until they were terminated, quit or were injured.
Chicago Tribune
 
How can reducing worker opporession and wealth inequality in America not be a good thing?
By doing it in such a way that those workers lose their jobs.

Or is this one of those "we have to destroy this village to save it" scenarios?
 
Who's to say more warehouse/distribution centers won't unionize as well??
This maybe the beginning of a new unionizing wave. Unions are at their best when they first start and before outside interests infiltrate....
It may be. It also may be the start of capital flight.

Capital will always seek its best return. Always.
 
So, let's imagine in a year or two's time Amazon is looking to expand its capacity in the US. Are they now more or less likely to invest in their unionized NY facility? Might other investment options be more attractive?
I hope that all Amazon workers unionize, warehouse and drivers.

Next it will be Walmart and food service employees. Im tired of employers underpaying workers, so their wages and healthcare are made up with costs by the taxpayers.
 
I hope that all Amazon workers unionize, warehouse and drivers.

Next it will be Walmart and food service employees. Im tired of employers underpaying workers, so their wages and healthcare are made up with costs by the taxpayers.
And what if investors tire of paying excessively high wages relative to the value that labor delivers?
 
I hope that all Amazon workers unionize, warehouse and drivers.

Next it will be Walmart and food service employees. Im tired of employers underpaying workers, so their wages and healthcare are made up with costs by the taxpayers.

At least you recognize who is actually being subsidized. Be careful what you wish for, since the cost of federal income tax funded subsidies are born largely by the middle class and above, while the costs of increased labor are apt to fall more heavily on the middle class and below.
 
The building is set up as a consumer stock warehouse. If it is sold, the competition would get it. Amazon might not want to do that.
I get it.....and he would be selling it for probably 40 to 50 cents on the dollar for what he has invested

is it a smart move? probably not

when it comes to union busting, Bezos has been ruthless....not always smart

I wouldnt put it past him to do exactly that.....shut the whole thing down and move the distribution elsewhere

And since he still controls the majority of the board and stock.....there isnt a damn thing anyone could do about it
 
It would be a mere temporary nuisance to Amazon. The customers are not walking away over it.
The public spectacle of putting 5,000 people out of work and moving a large warehouse operation to another location just to avoid having to work with a union that will work on behalf of all employees to prevent abusive practices (Amazon has a bad track record) and ensure fair compensation and benefits would be more than “a mere temporary nuisance to Amazon”.

No doubt, the behemoth organization would survive the bad press and continue to be profitable to investors.

The question is, why would Amazon executives choose to drag the company through the mud, publicly, when working with the union would present a positive public image that Amazon is willing to make needed changes.

The organization has nothing to lose by working with the duly elected union.
 
The tax payers currently subsidize the profits of companies like Walmart and Amazon.

They should pay their own employees enough that they do not qualify for food stamps and Medicaid and such. Until they do, the government should bill the companies dollar for dollar the cost the taxpayers incur providing services to their employees.
 
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Certainly not. Weekends, health benefits, and many other employment conditions we think of as "normal" are owed to the labor movement.
Exactly correct.

While there are legitimate complaints about some union practices, overall and historically, unions are responsible for many of the benefits enjoyed by every working American.
 
I hope that all Amazon workers unionize, warehouse and drivers.

Next it will be Walmart and food service employees. Im tired of employers underpaying workers, so their wages and healthcare are made up with costs by the taxpayers.
sorry.....but a cashier at Walmart is only worth so much

same as most non skilled jobs

when 500 people in a 10 square mile area can be trained to do the same job.....that job will NEVER pay much

skills pay the bills.....and those types of jobs will always be on the bottom rungs

you think they are underpaid.....so you believe they should make what $ 15-20 an hour

So then every other job becomes MORE VALUABLE.....and the price of EVERYTHING just keeps going up

and the only ones who dont get the raises fast enough....are those on fixed incomes....pensions and social security

Ask anyone in their shoes what the last 18 months has been like.....and then make it 3x worse if you make a national $ 15 min wage

Oh...and uncle sammie likes everyone too....because more and more rise into higher and higher brackets in the tax tables

So city, county, state, and federal taxes are collected from more people.....and not one person benefited from the change
 

The fact remains that large employers generally offer higher pay, more fringe benefits and better promotional opportunities to their workers than smaller employers do. It’s fun to pick on Walmart and Amazon, but they are not paying their workers less than smaller businesses are.


 
The most dangerous words for the American worker

“Maximize Shareholder Value”
 
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