5 ms·

That sounds a lot like most warehouse jobs. I had a warehouse job while in college for a while and it was either really hot or cold. Sometimes it was busy, some

by duck 15y ago

That sounds a lot like most warehouse jobs. I had a warehouse job while in college for a while and it was either really hot or cold. Sometimes it was busy, sometimes it wasn't. One thing remained constant - pretty much everyone complained about their job and how much they hated working there, yet nobody ever seemed to leave.

funkah 15y ago
One of the people in the article says he's worked in other warehouse jobs before, and was never treated like a piece of crap (his words) until he worked at the Amazon warehouse. So there is a claim that this warehouse in particular is worse than others.
- Natsu 15y ago
  Granted I can only give you a sample size of one, but during the downturn, things got pretty bad in a number of ways, mostly in that staffing was severely restricted and pressure was put on production to produce a lot with only a few people. That also leads to having to work at an unsustainable pace. High turnover and having lots of temps to try and make things work, even semi-permanent temps, is generally the norm as far as I can tell. And yes, it can really screw with production. Lots of people who don't know what they're doing is always hard to deal with. So yeah, I think it was the downturn that led to people getting treated like crap, but maybe Amazon really is worse than most. I've never been there, so I don't know. I can tell you that when you have lots of temps, you will see people getting fired all the time for screwing up or slacking off. Some of them even deserve it.
Natsu 15y ago
Sad, but true. My employer has a shop floor where the heat was, in fact, brutal. I personally raised a fuss about the heat, being one of the people deputized as first aid providers and having seen a few things that worried me. Thankfully, management responded and the guys got some more swamp coolers, as well as these things you soak in cool water and put around your neck, which improved things. So yes, especially this year with all those heat warnings, miserably hot 100+ degree work floors, mandatory overtime and constant use of temps, harsh conditions are, unfortunately, quite normal for that kind of environment. That said, just because it's normal, that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be improved. If you have to make a fuss, you should. There are a ton of people out there who simply can't afford to make waves in this economy and they're suffering for it. The people who can best afford to make waves need to if they see unsafe conditions.
- ww520 15y ago
  Those water absorbing polymer beads/bands around the neck are life-saver. They cool down the body temperature slowly overtime. Last time I hiked in Grand Canyon during summer, it was 110 degree. Those water beads really help to cool down.
  - Natsu 15y ago
    I badgered one guy into wearing one. I noticed a big improvement in his condition, whether he did or not. You're right that they help a LOT. I think we were able to get a bunch at a dollar store for some ridiculously cheap price. I can't believe that more places don't use them.
Steko 15y ago
I've worked at warehouses over summers in high schools and it was tough but I don't regret it. This place sounds like a third world shithole. Everything else aside, the "terrible" working conditions at Foxconn that people get so riled up about sound better then this Amazon warehouse in the US.
- _debug_ 15y ago
  People jumped off the factory building and committed suicide at Foxconn. And the sensitive folks at Foxconn, with the blessing of Steve "Foxconn is not a sweatshop" Jobs, put up nets to prevent them from jumping instead of improving working conditions. I believe that the Amazon warehouse is much better than this.
joelhaasnoot 15y ago
Yeah, worked a summer at a supermarket warehouse. They were nice enough there to sprinkle water on the roof, bringing the temperature inside down, in addition to having coolers. Middle of summer was still very hot, worst was the smell of tins of cat food that were spoiling. The only plus points for that job was the Windows CE powered, voice activated, order picking computers and driving electric carts around...
tsotha 15y ago
That's what I was thinking. This whole article boils down to the fact that there are people working in a building without A/C, there were a few hot days, and some of them aren't very heat tolerant. And $11/hr is pretty good pay for this kind of work. When I worked in logistics our customers were paying their employees minimum wage. There are a lot of jobs where people work in these kinds of conditions. Where I live when it gets hot and the air is still it's pretty common to see people who work outside overcome by the heat to some degree.

by duck 15y ago

funkah 15y ago

One of the people in the article says he's worked in other warehouse jobs before, and was never treated like a piece of crap (his words) until he worked at the Amazon warehouse. So there is a claim that this warehouse in particular is worse than others.

Natsu 15y ago
Granted I can only give you a sample size of one, but during the downturn, things got pretty bad in a number of ways, mostly in that staffing was severely restricted and pressure was put on production to produce a lot with only a few people. That also leads to having to work at an unsustainable pace. High turnover and having lots of temps to try and make things work, even semi-permanent temps, is generally the norm as far as I can tell. And yes, it can really screw with production. Lots of people who don't know what they're doing is always hard to deal with. So yeah, I think it was the downturn that led to people getting treated like crap, but maybe Amazon really is worse than most. I've never been there, so I don't know. I can tell you that when you have lots of temps, you will see people getting fired all the time for screwing up or slacking off. Some of them even deserve it.

Natsu 15y ago

Sad, but true. My employer has a shop floor where the heat was, in fact, brutal. I personally raised a fuss about the heat, being one of the people deputized as first aid providers and having seen a few things that worried me. Thankfully, management responded and the guys got some more swamp coolers, as well as these things you soak in cool water and put around your neck, which improved things. So yes, especially this year with all those heat warnings, miserably hot 100+ degree work floors, mandatory overtime and constant use of temps, harsh conditions are, unfortunately, quite normal for that kind of environment. That said, just because it's normal, that doesn't mean that it shouldn't be improved. If you have to make a fuss, you should. There are a ton of people out there who simply can't afford to make waves in this economy and they're suffering for it. The people who can best afford to make waves need to if they see unsafe conditions.

ww520 15y ago
Those water absorbing polymer beads/bands around the neck are life-saver. They cool down the body temperature slowly overtime. Last time I hiked in Grand Canyon during summer, it was 110 degree. Those water beads really help to cool down.
- Natsu 15y ago
  I badgered one guy into wearing one. I noticed a big improvement in his condition, whether he did or not. You're right that they help a LOT. I think we were able to get a bunch at a dollar store for some ridiculously cheap price. I can't believe that more places don't use them.

Steko 15y ago

I've worked at warehouses over summers in high schools and it was tough but I don't regret it. This place sounds like a third world shithole. Everything else aside, the "terrible" working conditions at Foxconn that people get so riled up about sound better then this Amazon warehouse in the US.

_debug_ 15y ago
People jumped off the factory building and committed suicide at Foxconn. And the sensitive folks at Foxconn, with the blessing of Steve "Foxconn is not a sweatshop" Jobs, put up nets to prevent them from jumping instead of improving working conditions. I believe that the Amazon warehouse is much better than this.

joelhaasnoot 15y ago

Yeah, worked a summer at a supermarket warehouse. They were nice enough there to sprinkle water on the roof, bringing the temperature inside down, in addition to having coolers. Middle of summer was still very hot, worst was the smell of tins of cat food that were spoiling. The only plus points for that job was the Windows CE powered, voice activated, order picking computers and driving electric carts around...

tsotha 15y ago

That's what I was thinking. This whole article boils down to the fact that there are people working in a building without A/C, there were a few hot days, and some of them aren't very heat tolerant. And $11/hr is pretty good pay for this kind of work. When I worked in logistics our customers were paying their employees minimum wage. There are a lot of jobs where people work in these kinds of conditions. Where I live when it gets hot and the air is still it's pretty common to see people who work outside overcome by the heat to some degree.