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Amazon is handing out 'Thank you' t-shirts to warehouse workers as it cuts pay

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Re: Amazon is handing out 'Thank you' t-shirts to warehouse workers as it cuts pay

#91

Post by Applejinx »

falcor84 wrote: post #69
mping wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consumers suffer because they won't buy that 50in tv? Really, any business that exploits workers should not exist. If some goods are just too expensive then people should really learn to live without them. I don't mind "suffering" as a consumer if what I pay reflects the real costs of production. It's called honesty. The problem is that any company as big as Amazon is a billion pound train moving at high speed, it ca…

I don't buy from Amazon because they're the cheapest, but because of the convenience and the excellent support. I wouldn't mind at all if they raised all prices 10-20% to pay their workers better.

Likewise, I can't think of a single thing I get from Amazon that I wouldn't be okay with paying 25% more to, say, support their workers and be more sure the stuff wasn't counterfeit etc.

Doing this WOULD make it more difficult for Amazon to crush and destroy every possible local store and national chain store that could ever exist, thus making it more possible for other choices to exist out there in the world (or even in our own communities where we live!) so from a stock market point of view, from a 'Jeff Bezos First Trillionaire' point of view, I can see why they feel compelled to go as hard as they can. Their purpose is not really to serve people, but to destroy everything else that serves a similar function as them, in order to be completely dominant and allow for, effectively, NO MARKET but just only them.

That's called a unicorn.

I'd rather pay 25% more and have… a market, I guess. I'd rather have different options. I see the motivations here, but I don't mind saying there's no benefit to ME in them. I'd be better off with Amazon only one of many supply chains I could draw on.

They have to be shockingly extreme in order to stifle the whole market, otherwise stuff will survive as a 'less good option' and remain accessible in spite of not being as 'good'.

Re: Amazon is handing out 'Thank you' t-shirts to warehouse workers as it cuts pay

#92

Post by redis_mlc »

zpeti wrote: post #7

I’m genuinely interested in what people who think of amazon as an evil company think it should do. It hardly ever makes a profit. Any profit it makes is from AWS usually. It is popular because it’s so cheap, which is why people buy there. So really the solutions can only be: 1. Raise prices and consumers suffer 2. Keep wages low and workers suffer 3. Stop existing. I wonder how many people who complain about amazons…

> It hardly ever makes a profit. Any profit it makes is from AWS usually.

Reinvesting retail profits is a tax avoidance strategy.

Re: Amazon is handing out 'Thank you' t-shirts to warehouse workers as it cuts pay

#93

Post by chadcmulligan »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #86
chadcmulligan wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The slaves must free themselves - I always think of the start of the mining unions - the strikes went on for a long time, and they were very nasty, it was a huge fight. People have been tricked out of these rights that were hard won, capital won't easily go back to decent conditions for workers without a fight.

Early 20th century unionisation only happened in the US after pitched battles and gun fights, and when that didn't stop it it was bought off where possible. A lot of that history seems to have been suppressed to the point that hardly anyone knows about it. It's certainly not something you'll see being mentioned on any mainstream media channel.

yes its disappointing, younger people don't realise how much blood, sweat and tears went into obtaining the working conditions they have now, and as you say, it's not taught much any more.

I remember going to a huge meeting and strike in the 80's, things were a lot more civilised then. I was a young apprentice, there was an older guy who was 'blackballed' - he had turned on a switch against the slowdown rules (a partial strike) - no other worker would talk to him. There were strike funds for people who couldn't afford it, it was a very exciting thing for a young kid, I don't know if it happens any more. People dying on the job so the owners can make more money is nothing new.

Re: Amazon is handing out 'Thank you' t-shirts to warehouse workers as it cuts pay

#94

Post by emaz1ng »

espadrine wrote: post #61

The title is purposefully misleading. Amazon is not handing out ‘Thank you’ T-shirts to its warehouse workers. It is handing out “Thanks to you, we will deliver” T-shirts to its fulfillment associates. It is a societal statement on their power dynamics, not a hypocritical act. Amazon wants to be seen as exploitative today, because it will morally justify the layoffs tomorrow once all this is automated away.

Amazon team leader detected

Re: Amazon is handing out 'Thank you' t-shirts to warehouse workers as it cuts pay

#95

Post by jason0597 »

partyboat1586 wrote: post #3

Reminds me of the weekly clapping for the NHS here in the UK when what they really need is a pay rise and PPE supplies. Sometimes thank you is not enough. In the case of Amazon this seems much more sinister and cult like. I struggle to believe that any of the warehouse workers buy into it.

Exactly. It's the main reason why I never clap on Thursdays 20:00, it's meaningless. I donated to that war veteran's fundraiser and I believe it will have much more of an impact than whatever clapping happens

Re: Amazon is handing out 'Thank you' t-shirts to warehouse workers as it cuts pay

#96

Post by jason0597 »

deadgunslinger wrote: post #15
partyboat1586 wrote: post #3

Reminds me of the weekly clapping for the NHS here in the UK when what they really need is a pay rise and PPE supplies. Sometimes thank you is not enough. In the case of Amazon this seems much more sinister and cult like. I struggle to believe that any of the warehouse workers buy into it.

Do you believe permanently raising wages to offset black swan events such as the COVID-19 epidemic is a wise move? What about the next black swan event? Are they going to be paid enough then or they'll need a pay rise again? Healthcare professionals are paid much more compared to the average UK citizen. Especially doctors, the average pay (100k pounds) is in the 2% of the earners. Emigrant doctors couldn't even dream…

>Healthcare professionals are paid much more compared to the average UK citizen. Especially doctors, the average pay (100k pounds) is in the 2% of the earners.

Oh please. Have you read "This is going to hurt" by Adam Kay?

Re: Amazon is handing out 'Thank you' t-shirts to warehouse workers as it cuts pay

#97

Post by [deleted] »

dean177 wrote: post #34
deadgunslinger wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you believe permanently raising wages to offset black swan events such as the COVID-19 epidemic is a wise move? What about the next black swan event? Are they going to be paid enough then or they'll need a pay rise again? Healthcare professionals are paid much more compared to the average UK citizen. Especially doctors, the average pay (100k pounds) is in the 2% of the earners. Emigrant doctors couldn't even dream…

> Healthcare professionals are paid much more compared to the average UK citizen. Especially doctors, the average pay (100k pounds) This is just utter nonsense. The average UK salary is around £30,000. Nurses can expect to earn anywhere between £22,000 and £30,000. Junior doctors (which a new doctor can expect to be for somewhere around 5 years) starts at £23,000 increasing to somewhere between £30,000 to £45,000. GP…

[deleted]

Re: Amazon is handing out 'Thank you' t-shirts to warehouse workers as it cuts pay

#99

Post by espadrine »

IceDane wrote: post #89
espadrine wrote: post #61

The title is purposefully misleading. Amazon is not handing out ‘Thank you’ T-shirts to its warehouse workers. It is handing out “Thanks to you, we will deliver” T-shirts to its fulfillment associates. It is a societal statement on their power dynamics, not a hypocritical act. Amazon wants to be seen as exploitative today, because it will morally justify the layoffs tomorrow once all this is automated away.

Found the Amazon manager.

no.

I try to objectively characterize their reasoning.

I see comments about how it is awful of me to call them “fulfillment associates”—but this is the term Amazon picked[0]. And they chose it to represent how they see it fit in their worldview.

My personal feelings? I am saddened by the lack of compassion. But the only way for people to optimize for the fulfillment of all lives instead of the minimization of all costs requires, at this point, a far teleportation of the Overton window in the political discourse.

[0]: https://www.amazon.jobs/en/landing_pages/versandmitarbeiter

Re: Amazon is handing out 'Thank you' t-shirts to warehouse workers as it cuts pay

#100

Post by boomlinde »

espadrine wrote: post #61

The title is purposefully misleading. Amazon is not handing out ‘Thank you’ T-shirts to its warehouse workers. It is handing out “Thanks to you, we will deliver” T-shirts to its fulfillment associates. It is a societal statement on their power dynamics, not a hypocritical act. Amazon wants to be seen as exploitative today, because it will morally justify the layoffs tomorrow once all this is automated away.

> It is handing out “Thanks to you, we will deliver” T-shirts to its fulfillment associates.

In other words, they're handing out "thank you" t-shirts to warehouse workers. Why would you call this title misleading?

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