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Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

reuters.com

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Re: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

#91

Post by ken »

TheAdamAndChe wrote: post #4
rorykoehler wrote: post #2

Amazon workers should unionize immediately now that the virus has given them leverage.

I understand what you're saying, but walking out or forcing negotiations during a global pandemic is sociopathic, and the union would gather a massive amount of political venom.

I don't know how you think bargaining works, but they don't just demand "do XYZ or we'll all walk out". There's lots of levers on both sides. The point of negotiation is to arrive at a mutually beneficial solution. Striking is always a last resort, and quite rare, since it's bad for workers, too.

Re: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

#92

Post by jedberg »

danbolt wrote: post #87
rukittenme wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They used to be paid in stock... they wanted $15/hr instead.

It’s hard not to blame those workers if they’re living paycheque to paycheque. For a well-paid programmer it’s a different story but it’s not hard to imagine the immediate liquidity bieng more valuable when expenses take a bigger bite of your income.

> For a well-paid programmer it’s a different story but it’s not hard to imagine the immediate liquidity bieng more valuable when expenses take a bigger bite of your income.

One of the best parts about Netflix's compensation program when I worked there was that you could choose your ratio of stock to cash. You could do 100% stock if you wanted to, or 0%.

Despite this freedom, almost no one chose to get any stock at all. Even people making $200K+ decided the cash was better than the stock.

Re: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

#93

Post by mhb »

jedberg wrote: post #92
danbolt wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s hard not to blame those workers if they’re living paycheque to paycheque. For a well-paid programmer it’s a different story but it’s not hard to imagine the immediate liquidity bieng more valuable when expenses take a bigger bite of your income.

> For a well-paid programmer it’s a different story but it’s not hard to imagine the immediate liquidity bieng more valuable when expenses take a bigger bite of your income. One of the best parts about Netflix's compensation program when I worked there was that you could choose your ratio of stock to cash. You could do 100% stock if you wanted to, or 0%. Despite this freedom, almost no one chose to get any stock at a…

Why is it better to get some stock instead of its cash equivalent which could be used to buy stock?

Re: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

#94

Post by jedberg »

mhb wrote: post #93
jedberg wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For a well-paid programmer it’s a different story but it’s not hard to imagine the immediate liquidity bieng more valuable when expenses take a bigger bite of your income. One of the best parts about Netflix's compensation program when I worked there was that you could choose your ratio of stock to cash. You could do 100% stock if you wanted to, or 0%. Despite this freedom, almost no one chose to get any stock at a…

Why is it better to get some stock instead of its cash equivalent which could be used to buy stock?

The stock was purchased at an 80% discount.

To be clear, it was a stock option, and the option price was 20% of the stock price. So it had to go up 20% to break even. But if it went up 40% you doubled your money.

This is basically what happens behind the scenes at other companies that offer you stock compensation in the form of options. It's just all hidden from you.

Re: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

#95

Post by Reedx »

seneca wrote: post #47
bdefore wrote: post #21

Glad to see this from Amazon, although I see it heading off the inevitable. Wouldn't this be the most powerful moment for employees in 'essential' services to engage in worker strikes? Is there any legal precedent for what governments would do? With all this war rhetoric thrown around, it seems a reasonable jump to declare essential workers troops on the frontline deserving of what we give other troops (free health c…

Striking in order to exploit a global disaster for personal gain would be a great way for organized labor to turn many people against them for a life time. It may work in the short term, but even that is debatable. Many people would gladly see the national guard break a strike if it's between them and basic essentials. Long term, the optics of that kind of move are so damning that it would likely be a net-loss.

There are already enough people unemployed just over the past week that would fill those jobs in a heartbeat...

I'm not sure it's understood yet what kind of devastation is unfolding with small businesses, which make up ~50% of the workforce.

Re: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

#96

Post by pmorici »

claudeganon wrote: post #84
pmorici wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That graph says that 1/3rd of households making less than 35k per year and 40% of households that make between 35k and 75k a year have prime membership. I'm from the mid-west. Where do you think Meijer, Schnucks, and Jewl Osco get their toilet paper from? If the union insists the TP plant shut down there is no TP whether you buy that from the grocery store or Amazon.

If the union insists the toilet paper factory shut down because everyone is getting sick, there’s not going to be a toilet paper factory if the bosses disregard. The same is true of Amazon’s logistics network, although I’m sure they’ll try and pretend it isn’t.

Was there any evidence of out breaks at the car factories when they had those shut down?

Re: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

#97

Post by grogenaut »

reedwolf wrote: post #86
caymanjim wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government would absolutely step in and stop a strike at Amazon right now, or just about any other business. Anyone trying to strike right now would be run out of town by citizens with torches as well. It might sound like a good idea in the abstract, but if you factor in the emotional state of the country, people would be up in arms and those on strike would get zero sympathy.

What would the Government do? Force people to go back to work at gunpoint? I'd love to see them try.

With the coal strikes they threatened to draft every coal miner and nationalize the mines. That would likely be the same methodology used now.

But I think we're a bunch of disassociated internet people talking about how a bunch of people who just got double time should be unhappy.

Re: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

#98

Post by ip26 »

reedwolf wrote: post #86
caymanjim wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government would absolutely step in and stop a strike at Amazon right now, or just about any other business. Anyone trying to strike right now would be run out of town by citizens with torches as well. It might sound like a good idea in the abstract, but if you factor in the emotional state of the country, people would be up in arms and those on strike would get zero sympathy.

What would the Government do? Force people to go back to work at gunpoint? I'd love to see them try.

There was a time they did just that. Probably what your parent is referencing:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blair_Mountain

Re: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

#99

Post by decebalus1 »

rukittenme wrote: post #71
jv22222 wrote: post #65

I've been thinking that in this new reality Amazon warehouse workers and delivery folks are doing something pretty amazing by helping the rest of us. IMOH Jeff Bezos should really consider this and put something amazing together for these foundational people. (I say amazing because I think they should be rewarded in a big way - Amazon stock maybe?)

They used to be paid in stock... they wanted $15/hr instead.

Wow.. such bubble, much removed from reality. 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. And spoiler alert: it's not because of buying iphones! Yeah, fuck these people for not having proper financial education and a savings account.

Re: Amazon raises overtime pay for warehouse workers

#100

Post by Teever »

grogenaut wrote: post #97
reedwolf wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would the Government do? Force people to go back to work at gunpoint? I'd love to see them try.

With the coal strikes they threatened to draft every coal miner and nationalize the mines. That would likely be the same methodology used now. But I think we're a bunch of disassociated internet people talking about how a bunch of people who just got double time should be unhappy.

Double time doesn't make their risk of watching a potentially deadly disease less likely, does it?
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