I read the full report which is page after page of horrors that would take me more pages just to summarize. Amazon and Walmart are the two largest companies in the U.S. with unprecedented levels of wealth. Together they have combined revenues of $1.185 trillion in 2022 which is larger than the GDP of all but the 16 biggest economies on the planet and about equal with Saudi Arabia and their oil wealth. Both companies extract their wealth from gullible consumers and oppressed workers finding ever-new ways to exploit, discipline, and maximize the productivity of their workers.
Speed is their big issue not safety though they say it is. The surveillance is not to help the workers or come up with better procedures but to prevent theft. Robots have made it worse because the humans are expected to keep up with the robots who are treated better.
The main result of the speed up is negative health consequences. Workers do not have time to get drinks or food, they are dehydrated, they cannot go to the bathroom and urinate in bottles, and the speed and surveillance has a negative impact on their mental health. Everything they do is monitored including eye movements and even heart rate. Workers say they feel like they are in prison – especially those who have been. Workers are not asked permission to obtain their data nor told how it is being used. Even though they are watched all day, they are still searched when they leave.
The warehouses have the highest injury rate in the business and a 150% turnover rate. 25% of workers felt they could not meet the pace without risk of injury. Half of all workers felt could not talk to co-workers during the day. Near half felt various negative health impacts; over 70% had constant pain from their work; one-third reported negative impacts on mental health. What you don’t know is that Walmart is surveilling shoppers too; they are able to capture your text messages when in the store – so beware. They don’t trust you either.
The average rate of injuries is 5.5/100 FTE for warehouse workers. For all labor it is 3.0/FTE. In 2021, Amazon was 7.6/100 FTE and in 2022 it was 6.7/100 FTE which is down but still higher than the average rate of injury. In 2022, Walmart had the second highest injury rate. Workers at some plants report that first responders are called every three days for workers. If a worker is injured, the blame is yours not faulty equipment or inhumane performance standards.
The work is labor intensive, dangerous, and low pay. Thus their target employees are young minorities which is why they put their warehouses in poor areas. Even the drivers who deliver to your door or other stores are independent contractors who have no health care, benefits, or even minimum wage guarantees. Tip them well.
Racism and sexism is prominently on display and the companies are anti-union. Workplace surveillance of people of color is old as slavery. While the floor where the work gets done is filled with people of color, management is primarily white – like the plantations.
As I have written about before, Walmart superstores have a negative impact on surrounding communities in both earnings and employment. By driving out other business, the communities become reliant on them and when 223 stores closed between 2015 and 2019, at least three new food deserts erupted and in 31 neighborhoods in 15 states there was no store that sold fresh produce and meat.
Walmart won’t accept a doctor’s note when a worker has a medical absence. A recent example is a report from the National Women’s Law Center (Oct 28, 2024) that Walmart fired Corrissa Hernandez right after she requested accommodations for her high-risk pregnancy. This is a violation of the recently passed Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (which I have written about) by refusing to provide these accommodations and firing her instead. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires employers to provide simple, temporary accommodations, to ensure workers like Corrissa don’t have to choose between their paycheck and their health or the health of their pregnancy.
The Oxfam Report ends with a series of suggestions. They can be summed up by saying follow human rights law and end discrimination. It also outlines what the federal government can do.
But you know how lawyers are, we don’t wait. On Oct 17, 2024, Oxfam America filed a submission (basically a complaint) with the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights and the UN Special Rapporteurs on Poverty, Health, and Freedom of Association regarding the systematic human rights violations Amazon and Walmart have committed against their U.S.-based workforces. Most such complaints have been against global supply chains and far as they can ascertain, none have been filed against U.S. companies for their domestic operations and workforce violations.
The complaint focuses on excessive surveillance technology, union busting, and grossly inadequate wages. The complaint was filed with Amazon and Walmart workers who told of the harmful physical and mental impacts on the workers. Many other allies signed including the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility Advancing Worker Justice Program, LaborLab, Open MIC, Advance ESG, Mercy Investments, Congregation of Saint Joseph, Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Corporate Advisory Board, and Sisters of Charity, Province of St. Louise.
In concert, Canadian workers won the first Walmart warehouse union election north of Mexico. (Truthout, Oct 18, 2024) The 800 workers in a warehouse near Toronto won their election. This victory came after the first successful union drive at an Amazon warehouse in Canada outside Montreal with 200 workers a few months previously.
A new documentary released October 18, “Union” by Stephen Maing and Brett Story, tells the tale of the fight to organize the Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, NY. The leader, Chris Smalls fired by Amazon, was the co-leader. The film also highlights Connor Spence who was elected the Amazon Labor Union’s second president at the first and only unionized warehouse in the U.S.
What can you do. First and foremost – boycott. If there is an item you want to buy and you find it on Amazon, then go to the webpage of the business and buy it direct from them. They make more money, and you are supporting small business directly. As I pointed out in my earlier article about Walmart you will not only be helping the American workers but the communities too and the international workers who provide the cheap stuff Walmart sells.
You can also call and complain about the way they treat their workers.
For Amazon: Phone: Call Amazon customer service at 1-888-280-4331, which is available 24/7. But note that only works if you are an Amazon customer. Since I am not, I could not complain that way. Live chat: Start a live chat by selecting Something else on the customer service help page, then I need more help. You can also type “Talk to a representative” into the live chat system.
For Walmart: Report a concern: You can contact Walmart’s Ethics Helpline by calling 1-800-963-8442 (1-800-WM-ETHIC) in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. You can also email ethics@walmart.com or visit the Open Door Page on Walmartethics.com.
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