Earlier this week, Amazon workers at the Shakopee fulfillment center in Minnesota will be striking on Monday, July 15 for a total of six hours. Why strike on a random Monday? Well it just so happens that the 15th is the first day of Amazon’s annual sale event titled “Amazon Prime Day” and is hands-down the company’s most lucrative day of the year.
Information initially reported by Business Insider.
Warehouse workers in Shakopee have decided to strike in order to protest the internet giant’s labor policies for those workers who work in a high-pressure environment due to Amazon’s industry-leading one-day and two-day shipping policies.
William Stolz, one of the Shakopee employees who is helping to organize the strike, had this to say: “Amazon is going to be telling one story about itself, which is they can ship a Kindle to your house in one day, isn’t that wonderful. We want to take the opportunity to talk about what it takes to make that work happen and put pressure on Amazon to protect us and provide safe, reliable jobs.”
Amazon representatives responded to Minnesota employees claims saying that they do already provide what these protestors are asking for, as they already have great resources and incentives already in place for their workers. They highlighted the fact that their warehouse workers make in between 15 to 20 dollars per hour, have access to health insurance, and are eligible for up to 20 weeks of paternity/maternity leave, just to name a few benefits. They also noted that if workers were that unhappy with their working conditions, they should also keep in mind that Amazon offers the best pay and benefits for their employees within the local area.
This isn’t the first time Amazon warehouse employees have protested working conditions, as several warehouses in Europe went on strike during last year’s Black Friday sale due to a high pressure environment and not enough resources available for workers to do their jobs comfortably.
The protest will not only include warehouse workers, however, as Amazon corporate employees from Seattle are also expected to make the trip to Minnesota to show their support and stand in solidarity with their fellow co-workers in an attempt to improve the universal work culture at Amazon.
What do you think about next Monday’s protest? Will it spark change as to how Amazon treats their warehouse employees or do you think the warehouse employees are overreacting to the business that comes with a sale? Let us know in the comments below!
