1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee • Hacker News Board

Re: 1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee

#461

Post by Dylan16807 » Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 7:29 AM UTC

WalterBright wrote: post #234

ClumsyPilot wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"being a temp for future robots" While everyone was predicting that the dirty jobs would get automated, instead its a lot of midlevel jobs are getting automated, but we still don't have a robot that can take out the trash. I am willing to bet my house thay we can automate away the CEO but not the janitor, and it will be hilarious. Management is just analysis of data, we can do that. But the physical works requires de…

> we still don't have a robot that can take out the trash Because it's hard to justify the $$$ on a robot to automate a job that takes 30 seconds once a week. Modern people don't realize it, but an awful lot of household drudgery has been automated. I'm old enough to remember life before the microwave. What a marvelous time saver that is! You can even buy one from the thrift store for $10. I remember them being $1000…

Microwaves are great but they save waiting time more than drudgery. A toaster oven will heat/cook something with just as little input.

Re: 1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee

#462

Post by michaelmrose » Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 7:47 AM UTC

gruez wrote: post #389

XorNot wrote: post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See also: Walmart and its standard practice onboarding employees by signing them up to food stamps.

Why is helping employees get government aid bad? Isn't that what government aid is supposed to be for?

Because if you tax Bob who makes 24 bucks an hour to feed Sam who is making 12 then Sam is in effect working for below market wages because in a functional market Sam would never work for less money than he required to eat.

This arrangement is a transfer of wealth between the middle class and Walmart regardless of whether they opt to shop at Walmart.

Re: 1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee

#463

Post by speedgoose » Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 7:53 AM UTC

anotheraccount9 wrote: post #409

I'm terribly sorry to bring this up this way but: if Amazon is a bad employer, why are so many people working for this business? Is it because it's better than jobs with comparable wages (are others similar?)

People can work for awful companies. One example is the 35 suicides in a short period at France Télécom : https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affaire_France_T%C3%A9l%C3%A...

Re: 1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee

#464

Post by xvilka » Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 7:55 AM UTC

tjr wrote: post #148

chubot wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironically Barnes And Noble was also a significant computer user in the 80’s and 90’s. They put a lot of local bookstores out of business with superior inventory, prices, and generally being data driven. Then they were one of Amazon’s first casualties!

I frequently shopped at Barnes & Noble ~20 years ago. But they slowly carried less and less that I was interested in, seemingly shifting from a "store for people who like books" to a "store for people to buy gifts for people who like books". At first I placed online orders with them, but once moving to online shopping at all, it was clear that Amazon had even better selection, prices, shipping, etc. But I still enjoy…

Tsutaya bookstore in Japan is the best example of such a place. They also expanded to a few neighboring countries as well. I think it's one of the best big network bookstores I had been.

Re: 1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee

#465

Post by actually_a_dog » Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 7:57 AM UTC

StreamBright wrote: post #449

kungito wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Management isn't analysis of data, it is making a decision based on that analysis. A completely different and more complex problem. One could argue that the border between the two is unclear but we have for sure been automatizing the analysis and we are nowhere near removing the managers. Maybe we could say we have removed layers of management though

Absolutely. This is why it would be better to chose the best option without the management. I regularly consult management about technical decisions and the always chose something else than the best option. Based on feelings, opinions and kickback rates.

> I regularly consult management about technical decisions....

Well, right there's your problem.

Re: 1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee

#466

Post by chii » Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 8:08 AM UTC

AngryData wrote: post #445

kortilla wrote: post #407

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> would otherwise have become “profit” and spend it in a way that counts as “re-investing”. Yes, so that’s not profit anymore. What’s the problem? Would you prefer that businesses be taxed on revenue and not profit?

It is a problem in where that money is going and being spent on. If they are truly investing, no problem, but if they are "investing" into, for example, buying there own private islands to vacation on under the guise of business, lambos for company cars, or boosting stock prices they already own, they aren't helping or supporting the economy they are extracting wealth from. And it should be taxed just like if I perso…

> buying there own private islands to vacation on under the guise of business, lambos for company cars

well you'll be glad to know that these are not what's being spent on - because if they did, it'd be an open and shut case from the IRS.

But

> boosting stock prices they already own

that is not considered investment, and i do not believe a company can avoid paying tax on profits used to perform this action.

Re: 1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee

#467

Post by Dylan16807 » Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 8:09 AM UTC

ekianjo wrote: post #419

judge2020 wrote: post #415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/06/15/us/amazon-wor... > Even before the pandemic, previously unreported data shows, Amazon lost about 3 percent of its hourly associates each week, meaning the turnover among its work force was roughly 150 percent a year. That rate, almost double that of the retail and logistics industries, has made some executives worry about running out of workers across America.

then is there any issue? it means workers find better opportunities or better conditions elsewhere.

1. No it doesn't.

2. Even if we assume it's true, "better" does not mean acceptable. Imagine a town with no amazon that only has terrible jobs available. Amazon moves in, some people try working there, the job is so awful that they quit and go back to the other jobs. Those jobs are still terrible. There's very much an issue.

Re: 1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee

#468

Post by amelius » Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 8:20 AM UTC

What is that number for public servants?

Re: 1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee

#469

Post by kwhitefoot » Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 8:31 AM UTC

justinzollars wrote: post #11

I have to say - Amazon is almost the only thing that works during COVID. Everything else is pegged. I've been waiting 6 months to buy a couch, every time I check on an update, its delayed. Government services are impossible to work with, try getting a passport or license. If you have an emergency every office is closed or dysfunctional. Amazon on the other hand works fine. I'm so thankful for it.

> Amazon is almost the only thing that works during COVID

Only in the US, thank goodness. Or I suppose I should say: everything is still working here in Norway, not quite at 100% but close.

Why is everything but Amazon underperforming in the US? It sounds like mismanagement to me.

Re: 1 out of every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee

#470

Post by msrenee » Sat, Jul 31, 2021, 8:49 AM UTC

gruez wrote: post #387

james4k wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is mostly PR. Among all Amazon workers, the median pay is $28,446 a year ($13.68 an hour), a figure the company revealed this year for the first time because of a new regulatory requirement. That’s a worldwide figure that includes full and part-time workers. Glassdoor, an employment site, says average pay at U.S. fulfillment centers has been $13 an hour, according to nearly 900 people who submitted their data to t…

> It is mostly PR. >Amazon’s pay is significantly above the $10.28 an hour that the typical retail worker makes, but it’s less than the $15.53 that a median warehouse employee is paid, according to Labor Department data. It might be tempting to conclude from that amazon is under-paying for that, but it's unknown what the median "warehouse job" at amazon entails compared to the median "warehouse job" elsewhere. If the…

Just anecdotally, the warehouses around here pay $15/hour for unskilled workers who do not drive lifts. In a low cost-of-living Midwestern suburban area.