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Amazon locks down internal employee communications amid organizing efforts

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Re: Amazon locks down internal employee communications amid organizing efforts

#151

Post by silverreads »

maximente wrote: post #133
da_chicken wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wouldn't matter. The current administration is from a party whose platform is as anti-labor as their opposition was under Woodrow Wilson. Even if we had a strong Federal government right now, it would be interested in aiding Amazon , not it's workforce. As it is I fully expect to hear talking points that "responsible" workers wouldn't strike or try to organize, or that there should be a law against unionization du…

actually, i wouldn't be surprised if trump tries to go left of biden in a few key areas if only to try to win the next election. i think he's under immense pressure due to mishandling the pandemic - he's not polling well at all, not that that means everything - and i suspect he's not above wildly shaking up policy in order to pick up votes, esp. in the critical swing states. his party isn't in a position to throw up…

Biden will stick with the party and it's "obligations" no matter what, so you've got a really good point here. Trump could punch low and swing left, where biden has no footing. Maybe maybe, this could catalyze a general republican swing to the far left?

Re: Amazon locks down internal employee communications amid organizing efforts

#152

Post by mschuster91 »

linuxftw wrote: post #131
mschuster91 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Those are all pro worker. Not neccessarily. > Increased tariffs, renegotiated trade deals (increased tariffs) Given the current situation where most production is offshored, this only hurts consumers in the short and middle term as there literally is no production capacity for most of the stuff that is produced in China (and other offshore countries), so the tariffs will be passed on 1:1 to consumers. To properly i…

> tariffs would have to be so high that sum I disagree. Almost anything made overseas can be made in the US, it's vast place. If you raise tariffs, that's going to hurt the largest international corporations and stimulate the local small to medium sized companies. Prices for goods would go up, but so would the demand for labor. Also, goods would be of higher quality and there would be less disposable consumer-culture…

> I disagree. Almost anything made overseas can be made in the US, it's vast place.

No it cannot, at least not in the foreseeable future as even for something as stupid and simple as a McDonalds Happy Meal throwaway toy there is no domestic supply chain in the US or most other Western countries. Corona makes rebuilding that supply chain even more impractical as you would need many, many dozens of billions of dollars (or euros) as an upfront investment and still thanks to higher labor costs and cost of compliance with regulations (environmental and labor) this won't be competitive for a long time.

> If you raise tariffs, that's going to hurt the largest international corporations and stimulate the local small to medium sized companies

Most "large international companies" are US-based. Also, large corporations can choose to at least partially suck up tariffs (either by cross-subsidizing or by cutting profit margins) and make up the loss by scale, while a small/medium trade company cannot easily do that.

Re: Amazon locks down internal employee communications amid organizing efforts

#153

Post by tinus_hn »

Frost1x wrote: post #78
retrac wrote: post #60

Some comments here really had me scratching my head. Remember, it's not just engineers, code monkeys and managers at Amazon. The majority of their employees are unskilled labour. Warehouse workers and delivery drivers. An Amazon warehouse worker in Canada makes just a little more than minimum wage. Even if it might be a nice company to work for if you're in an office, it may be a very different reality for the majori…

>The majority of their employees are unskilled labour. I've never really liked "skilled" and "unskilled" label classifiers because it implies a relationship between compensation and skill. I'm aware you didn't say this but I see it far too often. I've seen a lot of fairly low compensated work that I know for a fact I can't do. We need to stop dehumanizing people with 'skilled' and 'unskilled' labor. A lot of it just…

If there is no difference in compensation for skilled and unskilled work, why would people invest in becoming skilled?

Re: Amazon locks down internal employee communications amid organizing efforts

#154

Post by coronaboi »

Don’t understand what the fuss is about. To continue their discussions, Can’t these employees get on a service like Blind? Yes, amazon throttling such behaviour is questionable, but why bitch and moan about not being able to use a company resource when there’s something like Blind available?

Re: Amazon locks down internal employee communications amid organizing efforts

#155

Post by blaser-waffle »

retrac wrote: post #73
rochester46 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canadian minimum wage is relatively high (and your statement is only true for Ontario, btw. In other parts of Canada, Amazon warehouse worker minimum pay is 150% minimum wage). When viewed through the lens of the reality that is the American workforce, things look very differently. In the US, Amazon warehouse workers make more than double the federal minimum wage. They make, at minimum, more than double the wage of a…

If that's the case and they're making ~$21 CAD an hour, then Amazon's American warehouse workers are paid considerably more than they are in Canada despite the US having a lower cost of living. At least in my local context, their behaviour doesn't seem to be something worth lauding. It's just another grueling underpaid warehouse job. With a union-busting employer.

The US as a whole has a lower cost of living. If you're near any real population center that's just not the case. Twice minimum wage goes pretty far in rural Kentucky, but that ain't gettin you much in Nashville, and gets you fuck-all around DC.

The COL is higher in Canada, but at least they have healthcare and worker protections. I'd rather be a Starbucks barista or Amazon warehouse worker in the CAN than anywhere in the US.

Re: Amazon locks down internal employee communications amid organizing efforts

#156

Post by orestarod »

silverreads wrote: post #151
maximente wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

actually, i wouldn't be surprised if trump tries to go left of biden in a few key areas if only to try to win the next election. i think he's under immense pressure due to mishandling the pandemic - he's not polling well at all, not that that means everything - and i suspect he's not above wildly shaking up policy in order to pick up votes, esp. in the critical swing states. his party isn't in a position to throw up…

Biden will stick with the party and it's "obligations" no matter what, so you've got a really good point here. Trump could punch low and swing left, where biden has no footing. Maybe maybe, this could catalyze a general republican swing to the far left?

This sounds like a circus. Not saying that it's better anywhere else in essence, but in US politics the political words meanings have been absolutely butchered.

Re: Amazon locks down internal employee communications amid organizing efforts

#157

Post by silverreads »

orestarod wrote: post #156
silverreads wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Biden will stick with the party and it's "obligations" no matter what, so you've got a really good point here. Trump could punch low and swing left, where biden has no footing. Maybe maybe, this could catalyze a general republican swing to the far left?

This sounds like a circus. Not saying that it's better anywhere else in essence, but in US politics the political words meanings have been absolutely butchered.

I mean, is that out of character though? I was going to vote for bernie but if trump extends federally funded healthcare to everyone and abolishes private health insurance (which, as far as I know, wouldn't negatively impact his financial supporters as much as bidens), hell yeah I'd vote for him. One issue, done deal.

Re: Amazon locks down internal employee communications amid organizing efforts

#158

Post by ric2b »

tinus_hn wrote: post #153
Frost1x wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The majority of their employees are unskilled labour. I've never really liked "skilled" and "unskilled" label classifiers because it implies a relationship between compensation and skill. I'm aware you didn't say this but I see it far too often. I've seen a lot of fairly low compensated work that I know for a fact I can't do. We need to stop dehumanizing people with 'skilled' and 'unskilled' labor. A lot of it just…

If there is no difference in compensation for skilled and unskilled work, why would people invest in becoming skilled?

There are other factors such as confort, safety, schedule flexibility, interesting work, etc.
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