Why So Many Amazon Workers Are Getting Hurt
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- čas přidán 12. 06. 2024
- For years, Amazon warehouse workers have been speaking up about unsafe conditions and the risk of injury they say they face while churning out millions of packages every day. Now their claims are being backed up by federal investigators who cited Amazon for “failing to keep workers safe” and new 2022 facility-level injury data that shows Amazon workers get injured at a rate of 6.9 for every 100 workers. CNBC spoke with Amazon workers who’ve been hurt and asked the government, and Amazon, what’s being done to make warehouses safer.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
02:13 - Injured at higher rates
07:09 - How workers get hurt
10:25 - Problematic injury reporting
14:42 - Promises to do better
19:21 - Workers taking action
Produced and Shot by: Katie Tarasov
Edit by: Evan Lee Miller
Animation: Christina Locopo, Jason Reginato and Alex Wood
Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt
Additional Camera: Liam Mays and Lucas Mullikin
Additional Footage: Amazon, Bobby Gosvener, C-SPAN2, Getty Images, Jennifer Crane, Lanita Hammons, Strategic Organizing Center, The Committee on Education & The Workforce
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Why So Many Amazon Workers Are Getting Hurt
Having worked at Amazon in Germany, I can confirm that their priority is to maximise shareholder value. Workers are just a tool to them. When the tool breaks, they throw it away.
Maybe in Germany it’s different, but in the US nearly every company is like that. Amazon is just the biggest fish for them to go after.
Nursing is like that. The minute you get injured, it’s time to leave. Besides, it’s bad mentally and physically. I am sad to see this happening in other industries. Besides, having physical problems, I became suicidal.
Amazon has been more slow to deliver items. Yet, they are pushing the people who work for them, to get hurt.
I am glad that the warehouse my cousin works in is not like this. But, he is 59 years old and having severe knee pain and back pain. That’s a job that is good for the young people. Just the repetitive nature of the job can injure people. It’s capitalism. I have herniated disks in my neck, a back injury and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and my schizoaffective disorder is so bad that I am an emotional cripple. The company whether it’s Amazon or the hospital, they make you work until you can’t anymore. I also injured my wrist at a hospital job. If you get it checked by the company doctors, you can be assured that your injury will become crippling. Also, having to keep a quota in order to keep the job.
Florida is one of the worst places to work, as in any right to work states. They can find an excuse to get rid of you and forget about having a mental illness and frequent breakdowns, because of work.
@@cindyeisenberg8367 I started working in Adolescent residential mental health facilities when I got out of college. Very low paid job caring for kids with very serious issues, many extremely violent. I was assaulted, with a blow to the head that was hard enough I lost vision for several minutes and was sent to the ER. Still had to be on the job for a double shift 6 hours after I got home from the hospital. That was just the beginning of my injuries. I have chronic back pain from an assault over 20 years ago, severe neurological issues, and PTSD. Was permanently disabled before I was 40. All because I wanted to help the less fortunate.
lol shocker
And that's completely fair, nobody is forced to work for them.
I work at an Amazon here in Dallas TX. I have been here since July of 2020. I can 100% confirm that the work here is dangerous and will eventually lead to injury. On top of that amazon is a point and blame company, nobody ever takes responsibility for a problem or injury in fear of retaliation that they may be fired or scrutinized. One incident that I witnessed is a woman in her 50s had severe pain in her knees from the strain of climbing and going down on the ladder at her station, she made a safety andon and her manager took her to AMCARE. The safety workers urged her to say that this is not a work related injury and that if she did say it was she could have issues with continuing to work for amazon, so she did what they said and now she continues to work with this injury complaining everyday. She can’t afford to loose her job but the way I see it Amazon is just waiting to give her enough write ups to fire her or till she quits. Amazon is a disgrace of a company in the way they take safety into account.
amazon has been growing so rapidly.. and then we had the pandemic and the near collaps of our economiy and socieity.. I am hopefull that things will get better
Yep they are aiming for that high turnover they want everyone to quit in 4 years or less
Use you up chew you out, older workers get lazy is their motto
Their warehouses also ruin a community, we have one nearby and the only benefit is getting your packages faster, I know of a fleet driver that got royally screwed by AMZ and yet our UPS driver just retired after 20+ years on the job....go figure.
@@LeTrashPanda please clarify "I know of a fleet driver that got royally screwed by AMZ" and what does that have to do with "our UPS driver just retired after 20+ years on the job"
The biggest problem I see here is hiring a women in her 50's to do such a physical job. The warehouse I work in only hires young physically fit people who are actually capable of lifting all night long. By the time someone at my warehouse reaches their 50's they've long been promoted to a less physical role.
I suppose it also helps that we pay nearly double what Amazon pays so we attract a younger more physically fit crew.
it makes me sick to see corporations are always above the law , and justice system or government do nothing about it
It’s call knowing the right people and sliding some $$$ under the table 🤪😅
Corporations get to right their own regulations! Corrupt af.
@@KrypptikkSoulslayer.
They're killing gentiles.
They work hand-in-hand with the government.
You would think learning that delivery drivers pee in bottles would be your first clue something isn't right with this company.
That is not true
Stop trusting supervisors, managers, hr, and anybody else that isn’t prioritizing your safety when it comes to hard labor; walk out/away before it gets to the point of injury.
Just work at the speed you're comfortable with. Don't work til injury.. silly humans.
@@jrey6186 You need to not comment when you’re upset bud, you stated the exact thing I said. Be aware of your surroundings and don’t trust the people that are gonna constantly push you to work for higher rates.
yeah bc they aint gonna cover your hospital bill then will probably fire you for getting hurt anyway
As someone who worked at Amazon before, I definitely agree that their rate system is the main problem. They want you to be unrealistic reproductive, even if it results in extreme exhaustion or injury, and then threaten you in the event that you don't hit the productivity they want, or just fire you all together. Not to mention, you using the restroom it's considered a time-off task, meaning you can be punished for the time it takes to walk across a large Warehouse, use the restroom, and come back to your station. This place is completely inhumane to work for
They actually aren't. Rates are set for 75% can meet the numbers
@Eric Scoggins amazon wants a increase of 10-20% every year. So if ain't now isnt will in the future. 75% is true unless you're new. It's the average and of you're in the bottom 5% you get written up for rate
@@BeastIsBlaze yeah I’ll admit my fubar. I’m in sc so my fc info is outdated and I should’ve been cognizant of that knowing amazon changes rules like most ppl change their undies. Was actually just made aware of how bad it was last night lol
WORKERS HAVE NO RIGHTS!!!! NONE! THANK YOU ALAN GREENSPAN!
I agree, this is 100% true. That’s why I gave them folk a one day resignation lol. I left and never looked back. They called us “industrial athletes”
I find it interesting how Amazon will do ANYTHING other than lowering their ridiculous high productivity expectations. 80 packages an hour regardless of size or weight is ludacris.
ludicrous
@@myoldvhstapes my point is still valid
@@visceratrocar In different area codes.
In some warehouses, pick rates are as high as 120. Especially in singles
In What CITY/STATE??? Las Vegas NV 200per
Seems like the biggest issue is the speed/time requirements -- perhaps we as consumers/suppliers need to move away from 1-2 day shipping in general
That is great self-reflection.
i think 1-2 day shipping is what made amazon popular and usefull to consumers.. all consumers. I think ultimately robots and drones will supplant human labor mor and more.
@@manp1039 Yes, and perhaps, but in the meantime there are many humans expected to perform such labor with both robotic and superhuman efficiency, consistently.
And that expectation leads to so many injuries.
I think perhaps a better way might be having longer ship times as the default (like 1-2 weeks, or maybe even longer, depending) and for high-priority needs customers could pay extra convenience?
I mean, how often do we buy things online and NEED to have them within two days? I know if I personally need something that quick, I'll either go to a physical store, or make do with what I have while I'm waiting.
@@BrambleGlade Which brings up why are we Shopping Amazon at all? Was life so unadvanced years ago when Amazon didn't exist? Was it really that much of a hardship to wait a week for something from Sears or Montgomery Ward or so difficult to get to a store if you needed it right away?
@@manp1039 That is exactly why we as consumers have the ability to prevent that. We could all stop shopping from companies that are moving towards robots... but that isn't going to happen. Self-checkouts are still around and we continue to use them. :(
I work for 2 weeks then quit, it was WAY too physically demanding.
I worked in a fulfillment center for a very short period of time and there were 2 strokes and many injuries. It really bothered and disgusted me with the company- there are middle aged people who should have so much life left DYING just to line greedy peoples’ pockets.
They took the jab. That's why they got strokes.
They didn't get a stroke because of the job. That's not how strokes happen
I work with all types and ranges of people.
Work till we die, it's everywhere. Not just Amazon.
They give equal rights, and everyone has a chance. Of course the weak fail, and the strong survive.
Strokes don't happen like that. They did not get those because of the job.
@@xtreme242 he said jab i.e the cov1dvaxx.
A pandemic is not an excuse to put safety standards on hold. It amazes me how the OSHA employee seems to go along with that reasoning.
Osha is so underfunded dude, don't go there unless you know what ur talking about
It’s all about money in a business, they’re the business 😅
I worked for Amazon as a lark. Bottom line, they are working people until they exhaust their energy and push them until they either get injured or quit.
They want you to quit.
They pushed my daughter-in-law out of the door to keep from having her to claim worker's comp.@@heartofjesusdj
I wish these interviews included Amazon delivery drivers. I worked for a company contracted to deliver for Amazon. In a month over 10 of us were injured. Some were broken ankles. I broke my hip in 2017, my supervisor saw me in pain after my shift and told me to go home. I was told it didn't happen on the job. Never received any compensation, not even worker's comp... was actually sued by the hospital for not being able to pay the 50k bill...
It makes anger just ridding this 😤
The thing is the drivers aren’t employed by amazon
@SoL they wear Amazon uniforms, and drive Amazon owned vans following Amazon procedures..
@@BryantFarris Yes they do but that's where the legal implications of being a full time employee (FTE) versus being a contractor come in. They represent Amazon by wearing uniforms, driving Amazon vehicles and following their procedures but they are not Amazon FTE. They work fr a company that Amazon contracts to do a job and I'm pretty sure in order to get a contract with Amazon, the company has to assume 100% liability if one of their workers get injured while doing work for Amazon. Amazon absolves itself of liability.
Do you still work there or know anyone that is still working there?
I shop at Amazon a lot. Although I’m a prime member, I’m fine with getting my orders in a few days. I don’t need 1-2 day shipment. Especially if it means the safety of their staff.
Yup! My thoughts exactly ❤
yep absolutely I agree
Why? Is it that much of a sacrifice to order from or go to somewhere else?
Pay a buck or 2 more, stop feeding the Beast
Then I hope you’re intentionally choosing slower delivery when given the option. It’s almost always there.
Old people shouldn't be doing warehouse work. They shouldn't be working AT ALL. This is a sign of a failing nation.
um no it's a sign people aren't taking a life's savings important
@@FloridaMan69. touch grass kid. The retirement age continues to get pushed further and further out, people can't afford their mortgages, rent, or any other basic necessities. The country is failing
There are old people who are shredded. People shouldn't be pushing to hard and build up to it. That's what I do. And slowly I perform better and better without killing myself. and what used to be hard becomes easy later. Now ofc if you find company manager that is patient with you and doesn't want you go crazy on day one. Luckily in German Amazon you get plenty of time. There people super slow and don't really get fired for long time and if you get past 6 months you can stay till the end of the contract anyway
Boomers voted for all of this hard to feel sorry for boomers
Most of the young ones have zero work ethic. Half hour restroom breaks, extra 10 minutes before break extra 10 minutes after, on their phones all the time, hanging out socializing, etc. That's why there's high turnover. I basically work there for the medical insurance but the pay and benefits are better than any company I've ever worked for. I'll stay as long as they'll have me. I'm mid 50s by the way.
From a customer standpoint, quite often I order merchandise and select the longer delivery time. But, I receive my order in a day or two. I really feel bad if employees are pushed to the limit for items that I’m not in a big hurry to get.
Thank you bro
Gee. Thank you so much for doing your part lol.
Same! I always wondering when I’m not prime I still get it delivered pretty much overnight or within a day and a half. And I always pick the slow free shipping
You feel bad but you keep ordering
@@xro1983some folks can't get out to shop or shopping isn't convenient due to crime
As someone who worked for Amazon's competitors, looks like to me Amazon isn't paying of OSHA. Working a warehouse job while in college, we were giving notice days before OSHA came by so we can memorize all the safety questions they were gonna ask us and on the day they came, we pretty much put on a "show" for them. That place was so focused on production, we worked unsafe to meet those goals daily and the unsafe working was encouraged without saying it. I worked unsafe and never got written up for it, but soon as my production dropped below goal, write was waiting for me. There were also couple of injuries a month. Made friends there while working, and they tell me things have not changed. Also, they have not seen OSHA come by for about 8 years now.
Perhaps that simply demonstrates how bad Amazon are that they can not cover up their activities. If a competitior can manage to get past the authorities easily, and Amazon is calle dout multiple times for it, then you know Amazon has not slightly screwed up, they have REALLY screwed up.
One of my BIGGEST beefs with OSHA is them announcing a visit a week or more in advance... they should just show up out of the blue and do their walk through with absolutely **NO** forewarning... Many employers are always riding the ragged edge of safety and trying to dodge it whenever and wherever possible... This has been going on for decades and it only gets worse as the machines go faster. If **I** were running Amazon, I would make it *MANDATORY* that every single member of management had to work an entire day on the floor doing the average workers job... maybe even two days. I would also sue the living hell out of those production rate companies that do not take any other factors into consideration when determining "cycle time"... I have watched those very workers WATCHING, not doing, the actual work and still shaving off tens of seconds for "lack of efficiency"...
Well you shouldn't have lied period! Everyone should have told the truth.
Good job making it easier for your former employer to injure you and then claim it isn't their fault when something happens. By lying to OSHA to hide problems you are protecting executives that don't care about you as long as the money keeps rolling in. I bet they gave you some line about how everyone is "family" there.
@@edwardpaulsen1074 yep, common practice is warehouse type jobs. That's why i only worked their for couple of years,.
My friend went to work at a (at the time) newly built Amazon warehouse in the area. They pushed him they overworked him and basically abused him like a workhorse for 3 months to the point where he was left with a permanent back injury. He doesn't have the money to sue or anything and he tried complaining and they basically told him they didn't care. They just complained he wasn't working as fast. He eventually quit because it was so painful.
Amazon will be like "I will pay you $22 an hour and you don't need any education!" And then in a couple of months you're used up and they toss you away.
Very very true
How did he receive that injury
They will always sweep things under the rug to avoid a fined, an investigation and more serious things that shouldn't happen but this happen because of how careless their online business is managed.
They deny everything.
➡️Look at the trail of devastation Amazon has left:
First, they put local bookstores out of business by undercutting their prices and offering a huge selection a local store could never stock!
Second, Amazon put local pharmacies out of business by selling all the sundries pharmacies once sold at prices local businesses could never maintain. Then Kroger/CVS/Walgreens came in and swooped up all the customers.
Third, Amazon came for local clothing stores, hardware stores and small grocery stores.
These (relatively) small local businesses could NEVER buy in the volume Amazon could! So they could NEVER compete price wise with their products or selection.
Every local business that shut down cast their employees to the greater job market and likely farther from home to find work.
Now, Amazon is plowing through millions of American workers, leaving them broken and stressed.
Is 1-2 day shipping worth all this devastation?? Isn’t it sad to see empty storefronts where there used to be locally owned businesses??
Just say NO to Amazon! There is no value in supporting such a behemoth.
I’m a happy Amazon shopper and it pains me to know that the employees are treated like an an enemy instead of the MOST valuable member of the team. I can wait 3 or 4 extra days to receive my order if it means the employees are safer.
Monopolies and outsourcing jobs creates this type of suffering. IT'S ALL DONE ON PURPOSE..
Not true!! Employees are treated with utmost respect and safety is the number one priority every day every shift every minute of the day. they focus on safety and well being of employees but if employees cant pay attention and dont listen to whats being said is not amazons problem. I work for amazon too, we have safety meeting twice a day, we do stretches, we are being told to work safely not fastly, its employees who create problems for their own selves
@@RoyalRythmzWhat about what OSHA said? What the workers in the video are saying? 43% more injuries than other warehouses!
As a former amazon employee for 3 years at a fulfillment center (inbound packages to delievery). I worked in safety. The warehouses are dirty. Pink eye and or respiratory issues are really common from the dust in the air. If you work hard and exceed your rates you wont move out of the position. If you slow down management will have questions. I've seen people break bones and turn into zombies. People dont stay longer then 3 months usually and those who stay suffer from mental and or phyical pain. If your going to work for amazon take care of your health. Ice baths, stretching, and not going above your obligation and rates is important or you’ll burn out. Short term (3 months) not too bad if you need a job, but the phyical demand catches up to you.
The biggest problem is the labor on hand. We often didn't have enough people to had large volume. The strain to finish the work day ends up with people getting hurt.
Hi @Sweet Karma whould you mind help me in responding to an anonymous survey regarding Amazon? Is for my Mba Master dissertation.
While working for Amazon, I had to continue to work while injured because it wasn't an option to take time off if you wanted to keep your job. I finally had to take a day off for it and was fired the next day.
Maybe you should have payed attention in school so you can have a real career with a future and not just become a number in a work line.
@@P2Feener305ok burger flipper
🤣🤣🤣😂😂🤣😂🤣😂😂😂😂 yea like 19 years ago
@@P2Feener305 I have a bachelor's degree from FSU and a good career. This didn't happen yesterday obviously.
Sounds like you often used your time off when you shouldn’t have. Amazon gives ample time off before fired, several weeks a year minimum. If you use that up then that’s your fault, people shouldn’t be given endless time off
I've been there for over 2 years and I saw it all. This is all true. Even the managers don't communicate well with the safety department. They are jealous that the safety specialists get to lounge around. I think there NEEDS to be an investigation. We have had a " stand-down " meeting to talk about safety every time there are 4 injuries in a 10-hour shift. Back half nights had stand-down 3 times last week. Also, the managers love to secretly go out on dates with the tier 1 associates.give us more money
Bro what job does not have people secretly dating each other lol
@@Ammut6 that’s crazy, is that you Jesse? My work best friend is named Jesse
Stand-downs are a hallmark of systems that want to blame the people rather than improve the processes. The thing is, humans are very prone to mistakes. When we rely solely on human performance as a safety measure, that is what is called an administrative control (basic rule setting) and it is one of the most inferior means of process control. Processes need to be designed and engineered to be inherently safe. This not an easy thing to do and most pressed into supervisor and low management jobs don't have the first clue of how to do it. So they beg and plead in these stand downs for people to act safer and when that fails, they don't hesitate to blame individuals involved in accidents for not working safely enough. One example where I work, there are lots of complaints of people driving forklifts too fast. We have a policy that says they should not be driven more than 5 mph anywhere and only 3 mph if near people. "Near people" is not clearly clearly defined. We have "halo lights" defining safety boundaries between forklifts and people but half of them don't work properly. Speeding can cost a forklift driver their forklift privilege or even possibly their job. Halo breaching can cost both the forklift driver and the pedestrian their jobs. With that being the case, there should be a 100% never-fail requirement on the halo lights and frequent reminders of what they're for, and for the speeding, the forklifts are capable over 15 mph. They should be electrically/mechanically limited to no more than 6-7 mph if not 5. If we truly believe that is a life-critical requirement that they not be operated at any higher speed, it is simply irresponsible to let them be operated above.
😮Are you still working there now?
I applied and went to day one of training and just looking around at all the people and general vibe seemed like crazy doom everyone was washed up and sad never went back I’ll take a job that pays less for better mental health honestly
Yes sir 💯 rather be a security officer again
That’s why I would never work fast paced at all. I take my time and work in a safe pace where I don’t injure myself
I work at Amazon 3 times. In 2019 I was fired for rate, 2020 I was stowing and quit because they wouldn’t let me move to a department after 30 days, 2021 I was picking after 5 months I quit because they wouldn’t let me move to a department after 30 days. They want you to stay picking or stowing it’s literally modern day slavery.
I stowed before. That shyt sucks
😮are you still working there now?
Been there, done that, with UPS, and got hurt.
Pain is no joke. We need to take it easy on workers!
In amazon, you’re expected to do constant, tough labor with a quota in mind. Getting written up is automatic should your quota dip below a certain threshold. Plus, you’re on your feet for at least 12 hours a day, which puts a massive strain on your knees and ankles.
You know things are bad when you go to get an MRI and you can recognize a lot of your coworkers in the waiting room.
I worked for Amazon for 4months and left SO QUICK when another opportunity presented itself. Amazon is the WORST!!!
That's the thing, people tell Amazon pays well but they leave out body injuries, restrictive bathroom time.
It pays well but is your body damage worth it in the long run. You still gotta use your money to pay for hospital bills since we still don't have a universal healthcare system.
Exactly!!!!
Healthcare is used to lure workers to work for US employers 🏢
I’m at Amazon now and tbh it’s only until I’m in a better position and can save up. It sucks that Amazon can hire everyone but then most places don’t even give you a call back.
Join the Navy
@@tim62103not with a bad back
I left Amazon this year January and I just turned 27 last month. I can assure you although some warehouses make an effort for safety and it does matter to some, it’s just not good enough. Numbers matters the most. I worked there until I had constant back spasms and now a pinched nerve in my neck due to repeated movement. Most ppl work through their injuries in fear to not wanting to take time off. The process is long and the reimbursement isn’t good enough. It’s a very physically demanding job even for young fit people. I sprained my shoulder there, my rotator cuff among other things. It’s just not worth it. Turnover is very very real and then those who stay get overworked.
Very true its not safe, people get overworked and their bodies break down this happens to everyone, i have been saving my money since day one, if i leave or get fired i will have enough money for 6 months, to find something else to do.
Back in 2017 I was sent to the hospital for 3 days because I pulled a muscle and the muscle enzymes went to my kidney
I don’t know how much of this is due to not training staff enough and not using the most efficient procedures. I haven’t worked at Amazon but find that I do my job more efficiently, not by going faster but by working in a much more organised way.
It’s not physically demanding if you’re fit. I bet you are fat, just like the workers in this video. You’re gonna be in pain, that is a given. Once u lose weight, you will notice a difference in performance
Why did it take so long to make Amazon accountable for warehouse worker conditions? Madness.
they have thousands of lawyers.
If u think its just Amazon think again. If anything theyre going after Amazon more because of their popularity and at least Amazon is actually trying to do something about it. Other companies that do way more dangerous work dont report injuries either n definitely dont care about safety but u dont hear about them on the news like u do Amazon. I wonder why that is🤔
@@yvonnecortes_ I’m thinking bc Bezos isn’t going along with government crap that’s why they are pulling this, I work at Amazon I love it and yes sometimes ppl get hurt but not like these ppl are talking and you can get hurt at any job. Yeah they are going after Bezos bc he’s not in with the nwo I’m thinking.
Amazon takes care of their ppl believe me! If someone gets hurt amazons is right on it I’m proof of it and so many others.
Lawyers
I worked at Amazon everythingvis about RATE!
Meaning output per hour?
true I also work there and rate is the only thin managers care about.
I worked at a Walmart distribution center, that place was all about rate. I've never seen anyone complain about that place 😅
As a current Amazon employee, bathroom use could literally get you written up. They don't care about anything but profit.😢
Yuuuuuppp! You get written up for taking too long! Mind you, you gotta walk quite a bit to find a decent bathroom and when you do, sometimes the cleaning crew is cleaning 🧽 it , and you have to walk further to find another one! That takes time!!! By the time you make your way around back to your dept they are writing ✍️ you up for taking too long! It seems illegal to me!
Do they supply the depends?
The fact that the USA government isn't harsher with Demanding change in these companies baffles me. I worked in Pharmaceuticals and if OSHA saw ONE needle, the whole company got a EARFUL for weeks on safety
OSHA needs to do more than financial penalties. These people need workers compensation and a lawsuit.
Im currently on my 1 ½ years on Amazon. N i just turned 20. I definitely used to be one of the top performers in all aspects. Unloading, stowing, picking and inducting. You name it and i was top performer in anything for the day. But recently i got injured. Like 3 months ago. So i havent been doing anything. The managers were asking why i slowed down so much. N i said my shoulder hurt. N i mesn they did take me off path and accommodated me only for a week but afterwards ive just been picking n stowing. Bc my shoudler continues to hurt n my workers comp has not gotten back to me in 3 days. But my stowing and oicking has gone doemwn significantly. From picking o bags in 2 ½ minutes to now tsking me around 24 minutes. N even now the shoulde pain affects my personal life with driving. Picking things up im not as strong as before. And despite afraid it wont get better
damn looks like your time is coming up soon
This litteraly happens at all warehouse jobs. Walmart Distribution center litteraly makes you sign an NDA so you dont tell on them. They have a saftey training video when you get the job... but when you actually work they tell you to ignore that because it just makes everything slower
Watched my warehouse force a seasonal worker to work through a swollen wrist. She then proceeded to get fired after lunch and escorted out of the building while crying. Someone who I thought put in allot of hard work and showed up early / was on good terms with the management. Just thrown out like junk. Amazon does not care about its workers at all. If anything the onsite safety actively works to find loop holes to make everyone work harder.
wow that is hideous
😮are you still working there now?
I currently work for amazon and I can say 100% that the workers are not cared for. I have never in my life worked for a company that had so many people in management positions that absolutely do not care about people. If you are considering working for amazon, please reconsider. The chances you will be injured in some way are very high and they will not care. And those injuries may follow you for many years. I recently was injured when the manager allowed an unsafe pallet of tables into the receiving area for me to receive. He didn't even ask me how I was doing after my back was scarred and bruised from being hit from behind by several of the tables when they fell. I hope to get away from there soon before I am hurt further.
The system they have at an FC is built on mistreatment of people for the sake of speed/productivity to the point of damaging them physically. Managers have to "not care" just to remain in good standing. And honestly, most of the managers I met were totally fine with that. To me, that's disgusting and it's why I stopped seeking promotional opportunities and quit eventually.
Amazon managers are all corporate ass kissing sociopaths. I just hope one day someone treats them like disposable trash and they remember all of the people they screwed for kudos from their boss!
Govt: “You’ve been knowingly skirting safety rules since inception to max profits”.
Amaz: “You know it!”
Govt: “ Do you promise to do better?”
Amaz: “Of course (fingers crossed)” …
When you invest, you're buying a day you don't have to work
You're right , it's obvious a lot of people remain poor due to ignorance, it's better to take risks and make sacrifices than to remain poor
It's not ignorance but due to some unprofessional broker in the market
I recently got into forex trading and im already marveling over the profits I'm making, I'm like " how the hell have i been sleeping on this
Same here, I wish I knew about this Bitcoin trading earlier, brace up and get yourself some Bitcoin before it's too late
Any specific guide
I wish Amazon would add a ''Take It Easy'' option on Shipping , so employees would have it easier with that at least.
Unfortunately, I doubt it'll happen after the reaction I got to my first product review (it was rejected).
Wouldn't make any difference, the order would still be there and it still wouldn't get picked until its needed.
I get the impression that Amazon needs to hire people who workout regularly. Their warehouse jobs are not for the regular person.
I work for Amazon for 3yrs was misuse and abused I got hurt and was pretty much denied return to work with no medical accommodation.
'Thank you for letting us know about your injury. We are sorry to hear that. Please, take some time to work with our on site physical therapist, and get better, because we care.'
That's a company statement. If you're not getting that, then no one should be working for a company who says otherwise
When I worked as a amazon safety committee member in California I noticed the managers trying to manipulate employees to avoid reporting work place injuries. They would say things like it’s a waste of their time or not worth doing a report. Sometimes they would retaliate by putting you in knowingly busy aisles or truck loading by yourself and avoiding your requests for backup. This could also happen if you spoke up for other employees being bullied by leadership.
Same in Maryland. Some workers went to get copies of their reports and were told they don't keep them or information was destroyed.
If they have this high turnover rate, they will run out of workers very soon.
That's why they want immigrants legal and illegal.
Turnover is common in this type of work. Their pay scale is entry level. For Amazon, if you are not seeking higher education to qualify for other Amazon Positions, then you are going to be looking for work in another couple years once you have the experience for your resume. The 90 days thing had to do with the bonus Amazon was offering at the time. Once they got that bonus, they left. If you already had a job, especially one during the shutdown then it was an easy few thousand.
Naw there are too many low skilled workers, high inflation making people need second jobs, and a bunch of illegals to do the work.
I work in a wharehouse and they are hiring drivers every single day, so they have an unlimited supply of expendables to go through everyday.
The new fulfillment center in Detroit is hiring at $19/hour. That's better than fast food places around there. They should have a lower turnover rate.
I worked at Amazon for 2 years I’m 27 years old and my back was going … I still feel the affects today working a less rigorous job on my body … it’s sucks I have pains and sometimes I can’t do anything I love
Why is your back going?
@@jesussalvation288 heavy lifting and bending takes a toll on your back after a while
wow they vacation days are like recovery days to come back that's insane.....shoutout people who did whaat they had to do and got out of there
People over 40 probably shouldn’t be doing those kind of jobs. As a person over 50 I can attest to the fact that the body breaks down under less stress and heals much slower than when I was younger. I was a professional dancer for 17 years. There’s a good reason why you don’t see professional dancers over age 35. The human body just doesn’t work that way.
False. I seen grannies doing crazy stuff as a dancer. I seen old dude doing hundred of push ups and jacked. They use work out based on science. So it's possible it's just people typically then they get older they relax and comfortable so they get weaker
I drove for a contractor for Amazon and safety was often stressed and when I quit it was for safety reasons. The last mile deliveries are also at risk of injury to the drivers and the public. My main gripe was not being able to see the road with the headlights that honestly weren’t any better than a flashlight and in my opinion inspections were “penciled in” as employees who had leading roles would say “that was already documented, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with your vehicle and the driver’s side headlight was out for my first trip and btw they only train you for one day and often bad mouth the training in class because it doesn’t meet the criteria of real life scenarios in the field. So, yeah it’s risky and it’s hard to keep going knowing that these issues exist but you over look them and keep going for a paycheck. It’s either that or look somewhere else for work.
Paragraphs bro. And finish the quotation marks lol.
they legit give u vans with worn brakes
I work at SLC1 and got injured thetr in February of this year. The day i got injured an area manager came by a couple of hours later. Instead of asking if everything was ok, his first question to me was "why are you picking so slow?"
Costco has similar problems in warehouse stockers and box people; repetitive stress injuries.
Hurt my shoulder working for amazon kept stressing my back for reaching across conveyer belts bc no one on the other side was picking up packages, don't ever go above and beyond unless you're getting paid like it or you know you will be taken care of.
My last job I had to do productivity quotas. But, it was a desk job. But, I have schizoaffective disorder. So, working long hours to meet these ridiculous quotas caused me severe emotional distress. Even, if the computer was down, or there were meetings, we had to meet the same quota. We were just human computers. The company was in a right to work state. Big companies are in those states, so the minute you get injured or sick, they will find a way to get rid of you. And, regardless of how bad the job is, there are always plenty of people ready to take your place.
what you are describing is similar to the story of the conditions of people working for Ford and GM in Michigan during the early 1900s. there are some good documentaries on it.
@@manp1039 I know. Thank goodness I am disabled, now. Unfortunately, that was the best thing to happen to me.
It’s Orwellian double-speak to call it ‘Right to Work’ When it really means anti-union.
It means the workers who organize & vote for a union and negotiate a contract aren’t able to collect union dues for the benefits EVERYONE enjoys!
Unions utilize collective bargaining to elevate working conditions and they also educate on workers rights and lobby legislators on working conditions. In a ‘Right to Work’ state, this work is inhibited by restrictions designed to break the union and under fund it.
@@GaiaCarney what is the avarage union dues for largest unions? and are they a percentage or a flat rate? And of the money they pay for union dues, how are they treated in terms of income taxes? are the union dues completely deductactable seperately as a contribution to a non profit organization?
Omg you had to do your job booo hoooo emotional distress hahahahha get real Cindy !!! Nothing but a coddled spoiled brat !!!!
Should go through the Warehouses and check their scales, and the actual weights of the packages vs what they are listed as. You would be surprised how many boxes are "49.9 lb" and if you get injured during a lift ... well you signed on this job as being able to lift 50 lb.
Maybe don’t be the cool kid in school and actually get an education so you can have a real career and not a job where you’re disposable.
All about the almighty dollar. Don't give your life force to a company that doesn't care about you whatsoever. It's akin to an abusive romantic relationship.
That may be true but then companies end up moving overseas. That is how American jobs get lost.
Its hard to complain or even get another better paying with inflation so high.
This comment needs to be pinned 😂 very accurate
@@rudagata2134 Would be kind of hard to do two day shipping like that Amazon is entrenched
💯 They don’t even provide adequate breaks
If you are 60 years old with pre-existing health conditions, working in a warehouse, you can imagine you’re going to get hurt….
The headline makes it seem they're not supposed to go after them
Because CNBC is always trying to promote businesses
Do not work here i injured my rotator cuff the ligament is torn, never in my life have i been injured on a job and I'm pretty fit i played basketball, football to give you an example.... they want you to hit Rate like a robot machine, now I'm permanently injured... cant do nothing anymore unless i get surgery... and if you had a ligament torn in your body, you know the feeling... I'm a grown man crying... pain meds didn’t even work..
The warehouse i got injured at is Clt4 Charlotte north carolina, although i was injured had a doctors note from amazons own doctor they send you to....when i got back to the warehouse they told me to go back and lift boxes and pull 800 lb pallets
In singapore, some orthopedic doctors in private sector were suspended by Singapore medical counsel because it was held that, in conjunction with employers, the employees were given fewer sick leaves. Maybe some action against the doctors in the warehouse is also warranted. This is disappointing by Amazon!!
American doctors are not held to the same standards by medical associations as places like Singapore, UK, and Australia where the medical associations have a lot of power.
This is a minor detail, and you're still right, but Amazon doesn't keep doctors on staff at the warehouses. Instead, they have an EMT who gives first aid for minor injuries. Anything major that would require a doctor they refer to a doctor they pay for through worker's compensation, which is a government program for injured workers.
The stretching stopped when there were to many orders to fill. Time was money as the manager would say. We even had two earthquakes while I was there. I remember the manager told us to hurry since our rate had dropped. They do not care. Worked at a prime location in Los Angeles
I used to be an industrial athletic trainer for 3 years in distribution and warehouse setting. While not Amazon, these companies only view the healthcare providers onsite as checkboxes for OSHA. I cannot tell you how many timed these places didn't care about workplace injuries until a bad one happened, and they did everything to sweep it under the rug. They would do everything possible to make following up on and referring injuries as difficult as possible.
Also, we are bound to OSHA laws fitting under what's a recordable and what's not. We were encouraged to, unless it was an absolute extreme case, to make it not a recordable at all costs. The guidelines for EHS/safety personnel are right there, but they act reactionary not preventative.
Sadly. Every single large corp is like this. If its physical or not. I work at home depot. I have worked in flooring lifting 100lbs boxes of tile over and over all day every day. Ever since I have had nothing but back issues. Now I'm in millwork. Imagine having to lift doors every single day. I can't anymore but I am expected to. Our job selection is broken. We are underpaid and overworked. Our protections for being ill or injured are also not even close to what they should be. I had a month long medical emergency. I'm treated different now and fear of losing my job. I know for a fact I'll have another month - 2 month medical intervention here soon and I won't be alarmed to find out that I've been replaced this time around.
If Fines are not working and violations are continuing facility shout be closed. That’s how it’s works in the Netherlands especially on construction sites, but on every facility you can’t have 10% of your employees getting injured every year. Even the military doesn’t accept this in peacetime.
the real injury rate is probably double or triple what is recorded, half the people walking around the warehouse are injured and haven't reported it yet.
Amazon is like sooo damn two faced towards the employees….it’s like them saying SAFETY IS NUMBER ONE!!! WE CARE!! then once working they want all y’all to hurry up and make rate for its productivity and if y’all don’t do it fast enough then y’all get written up for 30 days then if you get ANOTHER write up within those 30 days it’s a final then termination. They want us to work at a safe pace yet rushes us to do it??? like what???
Here in the UK, specifically the two warehouses I woeked at in at Swindon and Tilbury, the working conditions were shocking. They pretend that safety is a priority but its all talk. They made me retrain on Pick, a departure I didn't even ask to be trained on, where I suffered qn injury due to their constant overworking and pushing for targets.
They offer to many VTO. Then they tell us the staffing is thin. They expect us to pick it up.
we have vto everyday at my wharehouse I inured my knee so I take as much as possible so my knees healed, but I'm not getting paid so I have to come to work inured.
As a currently injured worker, once you are injured, it becomes impossible to heal. My legs, elbow, and wrists are trashed. There just isnt enough time away from the job for the body to heal. Everyone is exhausted alll the time.
I often have to unpack about 1000 units for my retail job...They do tell you certain things when they train you like ' move this way' , ' pick things up this way' . I think a lot of the injuries are working too fast without proper preperation... The managers are dropping the ball.
As a customer I have been concerned about this, and always choose the "Amazon Day" ie delayed delivery, out of concern for the workers. Outside emergencies, I would be just as happy to wait a week or two. It was just an intuition, nothing specific. I also noticed that the humans are doing most of the "grunt" work while the robots make the decisions. Or so it appears. Interesting.
I've known about this problem for many years and I've also picked up hundreds of people who've worked at Amazon facilities and some of them are at their retirement ages and are working at Amazon facilities I remember a few years ago there was an article about somebody working on a forklift and ended up dying because they weren't taught how to safely disable the forklift hydraulics
I've had two heart attacks while on the clock and now looking into filing for permanent disability. Amazon sucks.
I worked at FedEx Ground back in 06~07 which looks similar if not the same to the Amazon warehouses and I used to get injuries on my hands and legs dealing with so many packages and machine malfunctions. Only thing they cared about was the unload rate. I think now that more people have been using Amazon, especially since Covid is the reason why issues like this are coming to light.
They, my supervisor didn't even record my injuries. Got my hand slammed on a sliding door. Broke my thumb and still feel pain years later.
To ANY and ALL good, hard working Amazon Employees: If no one has ever said this, I'll be the first - YOU are LOVED and APPRECIATED! I always take the "How was my delivery" survey and I leave good reviews and I click all of the compliments available. I'm not sure if Amazon looks at those surveys or not, but I always try to give love back! Unlike this backwards society, I like rewarding good behavior and even though the surveys are relatively small, I just hope it does helps! I also try to bundle multiple orders to be delivered on the same day. Y'all really out here hustling and grinding and so leaving good/positive reviews (incl. Calling the manager) is the least I can do! Stay safe and remember you are LOVED and APPRECIATED!
I used to work for amazon and they care about “rate” that’s the only word that you’ll hear over and over. Your 45 year old mother/father could have a injury and come into work and ask for a light task to ease and unless you had some sort of doctors note, you were doing work in the mud. On top of fatigue! You are in a warehouse with little to no sunlight, no air flowing from outside and just warehouse ,no music, no phones, yet they’ll tell you to pick up the pace or get an “adapt” they call it.
Working for Amazon must be a horrible relationship
As a company that supports not only sustainable products and services but a sustainable environment, we stand against such a company that has no concern for the environment and its workers. We would add your video to one of our playlists to inspire consumers & businesses to choose the right products and services.
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I only buy merchandise from Amazon about once every two or three years. A lot of the items they sell is total crap anyway. Support local!
worked in Amazon UK . First day of induction manager told us this JOB is not for everyone . i thought he might be joking . they had us processing 100 units per hour and going to the toilet was imposssible . only did it for the pay and left after 10 shifts
i'm so sick of being broken and bruised and i'm only 2 months in!! i've been nothing but criticized and needled constantly!! You wouldn't believe the condition of my feet with these jacked up blisters on my feet from the unrealistic shifts!!!!
Glad I didn’t stick around too long to get injured. I made the right call when I quit after my first day.
Do not go to a company doctor ever. Go to your own or hospital ER.
I live in Aurora Colorado. I don't work for Amazon but at my last job I injured my back. I had to go to physical therapy for a couple months. It was sad because there were usually 3-6 other people there with me and often I was the only one there that wasn't working for Amazon. The only other person there who wasn't was an elementary schooler and a mechanic.
I got injured sat night and had a pallet side fall straight on where my foot bends at the leg and it hurt so bad. I couldn't walk. I was sent to Amcare for 2 hours and they just told me it was just a little bruise and I can walk it off and since I didn't have the time to cover for me to leave they made me work on it the rest of the night. I've never known a company to just blow off someone's pain and injury and not send them home with no repercussions. as in termination because you went over your time. The customer is always priority over their employees even when we are the ones that get those products to the customer. Without us there would be no amazon.
I've worked at Amazon part time for 6 yrs & work a full time day job. Warehouse work isn't for everyone, most people that work there belong in a office cubical. Young people & old & I'm 51. Warehouses are dangerous. I'm not a Amazon fanboy I have my issues with them too. Most off the people that work there would complain that their jobs is too dangerous & demanding if they were employed by the police department. Some jobs it's the nature of the beast. Out of all the warehouses I've worked in Amazon is the least dangerous & demanding out of all of them. Sometimes if feel like I'm getting paid for nothing.
I'm a small guy and I work in AMXL. I do get sore but it's becoming less frequent as my body is getting used to the job. I just work at my own pace and not stress so much about rates and time off task. Lucky my managers are chill but I would rather get yelled at than hurt myself.
If they don’t rush you … believe me those type of injuries will be lower. I told this because my own experience!
Amazon is the reason I have knee problems at 20 I wish they could be sued for it
It feels like any of those fines are going to be chalked up as a "cost of doing business" until warehouses are forced to close and revamp or the fines are actually scaled up.
This is why I will never work for Amazon. They overwork the employees
“Hey the quota I have to meet is unsustainable and likely to result in an injury”
Amazon: I hear you loud any clear. Listen to this training about eating more vegetables
As someone who was injury lastest year in my Amazon warehouse, I can say for sure Amazon often fails with preventing them.
😮 are you still working there now?
@@peterwalrond2058 yes yes I am............sadly at that
Amazon wants to be the biggest customer centric company in the world, but why not the biggest employee centric in the world too? Certainly a lot more can be done to ensure safety in the workspace.
My knees hurt because of the type of floor.