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Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

nytimes.com

31–40 of 244 posts

Re: Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

#31

"fired"? don't they have time limited contracts, that include a golden parachute in case of early termination? Does Amazon manage to even treat senior managers badly?

I don't think any manager at the warehouse level is senior enough to have a golden parachute.

Re: Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

#32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's confusing why investors haven't pushed harder for AWS to be spun-off into its own entity.

The largest customer of AWS is Amazon. AWS would not be profitable without Amazon.

AWS was making money well before retail moved onto it. Please show your source.

Re: Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

#33

> Several were veterans of the company, with more than six years of experience I think it's sad that we have an industry, where someone with six years' experience, is considered a "veteran." But it sounds like Amazon is sending a message to managers of other warehouses, to go as low as possible, to fight unionization. Expect things to get ugly.

Well the line you quoted says company not industry. Ecommerce is a relatively young industry anyway. And Amazon has been around since what, 94? So 6 years is over 20% of the time Amazon has existed.

So, if a company exist 1 year and someone worked there for 6 months, they're a veteran?

Re: Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

#34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For real. Amazon's retail side is nothing but bad pr and other messy human entanglements. AWS is clean, profitable, and nearly ubiquitous. I definitely know which business I would rather be in

The guy who used to run AWS now runs the whole show, so maybe it'll get better on the retail side over time?

It's not about management. One business has many low paid workers as part of how things have to work; the other has fewer, high skilled workers.

Re: Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

#35
post #21
post #15

My guess is that they didn't fire them for "letting it happen" exactly. They probably fired them because the employees would view those managers as someone they recently defeated over a major issue. Which changes the power dynamic in a way that's distinct from the presence of the union itself. It's a weak attempt to get some of that back.

Or maybe as an example for other managers? Basically it's "no union" or your head... Disgusting anyway.

I'm skeptical, because it seems like most of the anti-union activities are either dictated or run from HDQ. It doesn't feel like something where the local leadership was free to make their own plays.

Re: Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's confusing why investors haven't pushed harder for AWS to be spun-off into its own entity.

Why would they do that when one entity's losses can be used as a tax write-off for the other entity's profits.

because an option on a basket is worth less that a basket of options

Re: Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

#37
post #5

If only those managers had joined the union.

Unfortunately those in a " supervisor" role are explicitly excluded from the main US labor protection [1]. Amazon could fire them anyway. [1] https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-right...

Sounds like US labour legislation needs to be scrapped and restarted.

Re: Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

#38

> Several were veterans of the company, with more than six years of experience I think it's sad that we have an industry, where someone with six years' experience, is considered a "veteran." But it sounds like Amazon is sending a message to managers of other warehouses, to go as low as possible, to fight unionization. Expect things to get ugly.

You know those help wanted commercials Amazon floods media with, "We pay $15 to start, blah, blah. Start a new career."

I just assumed they were always hiring because of consistent growth.

According to the guy (forget his name. Wears a gold chain.) representing the union; Amazon fires a lot of employees. Many for no reason.

(I once read a restaurant success book. Everything he recommended made sence, except one, and it does make sence, but it's weaselly.

His recommendation to restaurants was to fire all employees every six months. Turn over the semi-skilled completely. His reasoning was a new employee didn't complain, didn't steal (this was before companies had cams everywhere, gps tracking, and wrist movment counters), and worked harder.)

I believe this is Amazon strategy.

It's usually a bit harder to fire union workers for no reason.

Fire them before they can see the inequities in the company.

Re: Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

#39
To me a more reasonable explanation than any in the article is that after losing the vote, Amazon looked into the warehouse and decided part of the problem was that the managers were making the situation worse. This could have been that the rsi injury complaints were true and unaddressed promptly. Or that the managers came off as cold in communications. Or 5 other things they could have done better.

Re: Amazon abruptly fires senior managers tied to unionized warehouse

#40
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It boggles the mind how many people are opposed to collective bargaining, of all things. Give the least powerful in society a fraction of an ounce of power and it makes some people completely irrational.

A lot of people blame unions for killing the American dominance of car manufacturing worldwide. And the general de-industrialization of the US. It was a big hit to peoples conceptualization of the country.

That's odd because Union membership has dropped off of a cliff.

Worth noting that Unions can be good and bad - and entrenched union that takes control of the workforce, the kind of place where they don't pick up a hammer unless it's in their job spec, or where hiring/layoffs are 100% controlled by Union ... that can be a problem.

But typically where Unions are formed there's probably a reason.

Walmart, AWS, and probably all of Fast Food / Service and Retail in the US need to pay more.

Sadly - it's not a ware between the 0.1% and the rest of us - though that is a war - the big war is between the upper middle class and everyone else.

At just past the median point in the US people are doing 'great' but below that it drops off a cliff. Most wages just don't enable anyone to live the American dream: own a flat/house, a car, a few appliances, healthcare, stable job, raise your kids and be happy.

America is turning itself in to a snapshot of the globe i.e. 'steep pyramid' instead of having a proper middle class.

It's obviously more complicated than that - a kind of break down in social structure esp. in the bottom layers etc..

Rule of thumb: where unions are forming there is probably a reason. Where unions are entrenched there might be a way to move past that.

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