Inside Amazon's warehouse .......

[douglas9]

Inside Amazon's warehouse
Lehigh Valley workers tell of brutal heat, dizzying pace at online retailer

Elmer Goris spent a year working in Amazon.com's Lehigh Valley warehouse, where books, CDs and various other products are packed and shipped to customers who order from the world's largest online retailer.

The 34-year-old Allentown resident, who has worked in warehouses for more than 10 years, said he quit in July because he was frustrated with the heat and demands that he work mandatory overtime. Working conditions at the warehouse got worse earlier this year, especially during summer heat waves when heat in the warehouse soared above 100 degrees, he said.

He got light-headed, he said, and his legs cramped, symptoms he never experienced in previous warehouse jobs. One hot day, Goris said, he saw a co-worker pass out at the water fountain. On other hot days, he saw paramedics bring people out of the warehouse in wheelchairs and on stretchers.


"I never felt like passing out in a warehouse and I never felt treated like a piece of crap in any other warehouse but this one," Goris said. "They can do that because there aren't any jobs in the area."

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-allentown-amazon-complaints-20110917,0,7937001,full.story

[elocs]

1. I'm glad you finally found out about this story. It was posted at least twice yesterday.

Here's a thread that can still be K&Rd:

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1962008

[Maccagirl]

2. I will never order from Amazon again.

I also do assembly line work (temp after being laid off from a bank) and it's awful.

[tblue]

3. Oh my gosh.

We order from Amazon all the time. Thanks for sharing and welcome! :hi:

[CC]

4. Beyond the awful working conditions

the article also highlights the reason the GOP doesn't really care about getting the unemployment rate down. Amazon's warehouse couldn't do this if there weren't so many desperate people looking for any work at all.

[FarCenter]

5. Another good reason to go to eBooks n/t

[MisterP]

6. here's a link from this Borders peon

http://isbn.nu/
compare a dozen sites for yer books!

[The Gunslinger]

7. welcome to the new American workplace.

[brooklynite]

8. If you want to read about the other side of Amazon...

...read 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon by Mike Daisey, about life in the Customer Service Department.


You can buy it at Amazon...

[fried eggs]

9. That's nothing compared to Apple's conditions

Apple is running a slave factory in China.