Struggling Workers Found Sleeping In Tents Behind Amazon's Warehouse

[DamianTV]

https://news.slashdot.org/story/16/1...zons-warehouse

"At least three tents have been spotted in woodland beside the online retail giant's base," reports a Scottish newspaper -- hidden behind trees, but within sight of Amazon's warehouse, and right next to a busy highway. An anonymous reader writes:
Despite Scotland's "bitterly cold winter nights" -- with lows in the 30s -- the tent "was easier and cheaper than commuting from his home," one Amazon worker told the Courier. (Though yesterday someone stole all of his camping equipment.) Amazon charges its employees for shuttle service to the fulfillment center, which "swallows up a lot of the weekly wage," one political party leader told the Courier, "forcing people to seek ever more desperate ways of making work pay.

"Amazon should be ashamed that they pay their workers so little that they have to camp out in the dead of winter to make ends meet..." he continued. "They pay a small amount of tax and received millions of pounds from the Scottish National Party Government, so the least they should do is pay the proper living wage." Though the newspaper reports that holiday shopping has created 4,000 temporary jobs in the small town of Dunfermline, "The company came under fire last month from local activists who claimed that agency workers are working up to 60 hours per week for little more than the minimum wage and are harshly treated."

Amazon responded, "The safety and well-being of our permanent and temporary associates is our number one priority."

Why am I supposed to buy everything from Amazon again? Especially when they treat their employees so badly that they are basically forced to do this?

[MelissaWV]

https://news.slashdot.org/story/16/1...zons-warehouse



Why am I supposed to buy everything from Amazon again? Especially when they treat their employees so badly that they are basically forced to do this?

Three of them are doing this, and they have homes. They are objecting to the shuttle fee. Is the shuttle mandatory?

[PatriotOne]

I found out last week the owner of Amazon also owns the Washington Post. Wish I'd known that before I ordered X-Mas presents.

[Sola_Fide]

Why would they voluntarily work there at such a low wage? No one is forcing them to work there.

[Danke]

Did they buy their tents from Amazon?

[DamianTV]

Why would they voluntarily work there at such a low wage? No one is forcing them to work there.

One other thing that should be pointed out is this is a Scottish warehouse.

But, to answer your question, economies in a lot of countries absolutely suck. Amazon is almost all temp workers that sheltered from legal consequences by using Temp Agencies. Working conditions at Amazon's warehouses are horrendous for the temps. Thing is, if they can afford to sue, they end up having to take on the Temp Agency and not Amazon itself, thus, their precious reputation goes mostly untarnished.

Next major issue is where people choose to shop. We all know WalMarx has a very bad reputation when it comes to its employment policies. If youre not a manager, youre not working full time and thus, not provided insurance. As a result, the Govt subsidizes WalMarx with Food Stamps, Obamacare at others expense, and WalMarx is allowed to continue its destructive employment practices, same as Amazon. As a temp, no insurance. Yet, people continue to shop at Amazon and WalMarx due to their low prices. What is the real cost to the people that allows these low prices to be provided to us?

I Was a Warehouse Wage Slave
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/...rehouses-labor

Does this sound like a place you would want to work? Even if you were / are desperate? If one had no other choice, would you be able to physically withstand these working conditions? Keep in mind that not everyone can physically handle jobs such as this.

[MelissaWV]

You don't need to shop there, but my earlier comment and question stand.

[pcosmar]

I live in an old Camp Trailer (quite cozy really) and live on $5.00 an hour.

what is the problem again?

or does someone just need government cheeze with their whine?

[DamianTV]

I live in an old Camp Trailer (quite cozy really) and live on $5.00 an hour.

what is the problem again?

or does someone just need government cheeze with their whine?

Personally, Im glad you are responsible enough to be able to survive on that. It takes a lot. Trouble isnt with you, but the Incentivization for companies to pay as little as they do via subsidies. I know not every company can afford to pay their employees a livable wage, and no, Im not for raising the Minimum Wage as that just plays to the Wealth Redistribution.

Question for you, is your employer subsidized by the Govt in any way that creates an incentive to pay you as little as youre paid? Such as 32 hours max per week, etc. to avoid paying health insurance?

---

@MelissaWV- I dont believe the Shuttle is mandatory, but it did state that the employees have to pay for it. And yes, only 3 of them. Due to only having three employees, the story really should not be worth talking about, but the situation is far from unique, which is why I think it should be discussed. Also, "Band Aid Effect". We also arent talking about the source of the problem either, which lies neither with the employees nor the employers, but the Govt Interference that exacerbates the problem. A choice to sleep in a tent close to your employer is one thing; having no other choice as a result of corporate greed is entirely different.

[pcosmar]

Question for you, is your employer subsidized by the Govt in any way that creates an incentive to pay you as little as youre paid? Such as 32 hours max per week, etc. to avoid paying health insurance?

---

.

My instance is unique,, as is my "employer".

I am comfortable with minimal government interference. dare and not say more for same reasons.

[MelissaWV]

It isn't "no choice" but that's semantics at this point. The big takeaway is that Government interference is seldom in the best interests of anyone but Government.

To get back into the choice issue, there are certain metro areas where you usually wind up with a long, multi-step commute. You might drive to a metro station in your car, then take the metro, then possibly even take a bus or trolley to the stop nearest your workplace, at which point you are on foot. You do not HAVE to do this; you could attempt to drive all the way to your job, try to find a parking spot, and then walk to work if necessary. You will wind up having to think about what's more valuable to you, and come to a conclusion. The people in the article are not homeless. They have homes away from their tents, but they are saving time and money by camping out near their job. Frankly, if one were to look at this as a chance to make lemonade, perhaps those three people could become roommates and pool resources to get a place closer to their location.

To take twenty steps back and bring the problem back home, you only have to look at healthcare. My salary is largely funded by Government in one way or another. There used to be a time when healthcare wasn't quite that sick, but it's the reality of it now. Medicare is the most consistent payer, and since we are in a specialty where we see more elderly or indigent patients than many other specialties, Medicare and Medicaid are going to be common. Blue Cross & Blue Shield has subdivided into so many types of policies that we have to waste time calling on most of them to find out whether we need to obtain authorization, what the criteria are, what visits are covered, what CPT codes we have to use, etc.. We also cannot deny a patient whose insurance verification returns a "on second month of their grace period" result, meaning the patient hasn't paid for a couple of months on their Obamacare plan, and it will be retroactively cancelled. We are required to grin and take it on faith that this person will bring their account current. If it does cancel back a few months, we are on the hook for the visits, since an Obamacare recipient who can't afford three months of premiums is even less likely to pay for home health visits at 100%. This is still better than United Healthcare, which pays about half of the going commercial rate (when they pay). That, in turn, is better than Sunshine or Staywell, which sign contracts stating they will pay $115 per visit and then turn around and pay the Medicaid rate, which is about $30 per visit.

What these things have in common is Government interference. Obamacare forces people to have insurance, and forces us to take that insurance, but when they don't pay it ends up with the patient in collections and the provider having to write the visits off. Commercial insurers are under pressure to pay out as little as possible, so they tighten restrictions and tweak coverage, making us take longer to verify coverage and jump through more hoops to get authorization. Medicaid was "fixed" by putting out these MMA plans in Florida, but the plans promise to pay 3-4x what they do, causing backlogs in AR on the provider's end, and eventual write offs there, too. They even take a "sequestration reduction" on Medicare Advantage payments.

The lower level folks still work hourly, which means temps rule the day here, too. We have several LPNs who work second jobs as waitresses or something else in that range. I know some of our employees are on assistance. More Government.

I don't think there are any industries truly immune to this, which is the problem you've already pointed to. It's a cancer that's spread to everyplace. Removing it without killing the patient might no longer be an option. To everyone but a select few who'd welcome the end of all institutions, that's not a good thing.

[MelissaWV]

Incidentally, the Seattle Amazon Ride program is free for PT & FT employees... and their dogs.

[oyarde]

Did they buy their tents from Amazon?

Scottish Welfare Fund .

[angelatc]

Next major issue is where people choose to shop. We all know WalMarx has a very bad reputation when it comes to its employment policies. If youre not a manager, youre not working full time and thus, not provided insurance. .

NOt true, either. But at what point did "we" start endorsing employer-paid insurance.

[DamianTV]

NOt true, either. But at what point did "we" start endorsing employer-paid insurance.

Im not endorsing it at all, just pointing out the problems that forcing it causes with employment. As usual, govt interference is the issue. IE, Obamacare and variations of it that exist in other countries.

[asurfaholic]

https://news.slashdot.org/story/16/1...zons-warehouse



Why am I supposed to buy everything from Amazon again? Especially when they treat their employees so badly that they are basically forced to do this?

Don't be so emotional. If these people wanted to they could have studied harder, stayed out of parties and trouble, and focused on bettering themselves.

One thing I see is becoming a trend is people think they are entitled to everything. They see the company they work for is a billion dollar revenue center, and think their slice of the pie should be bigger.

The problem is that they aren't entitled to $#@!. And most of them lack the skills to do anything that the next poor piece of $#@! can't do. But they want to be treated like royalty.

[osan]

Why am I supposed to buy everything from Amazon again?

Anyone twisting your arm?

Especially when they treat their employees so badly that they are basically forced to do this?

Two things.

Firstly, I agree that this is shabby, but IMO it is more indicative of a poorly considered business model than anything else. However, it must be judged in the broader context of the world in which we live. I cannot lay all the fault at the feet of Amazon. In fact, I lay only a small proportion there. It is the general cultural environment, as well as the political that drives a lot of this sort of thing. If people were not so price-driven, Amazon, Walmart, etc., would have little to no market save for perhaps the poorest among us. If "government" goonery didn't cause so much material impoverishment of the broader population, far fewer people would be as wildly price-driven. Forced impoverishment at the hand of government, regardless of intent, ruins things for all, even those at the top because life quality in the broad context is so deeply diminished.

Secondly, nobody is forcing those people to work for Amazon, so far as I am aware. OTOH, it is the UK, so anything disgusting and criminal is possible.

[DamianTV]

Anyone twisting your arm?



Two things.

Firstly, I agree that this is shabby, but IMO it is more indicative of a poorly considered business model than anything else. However, it must be judged in the broader context of the world in which we live. I cannot lay all the fault at the feet of Amazon. In fact, I lay only a small proportion there. It is the general cultural environment, as well as the political that drives a lot of this sort of thing. If people were not so price-driven, Amazon, Walmart, etc., would have little to no market save for perhaps the poorest among us. If "government" goonery didn't cause so much material impoverishment of the broader population, far fewer people would be as wildly price-driven. Forced impoverishment at the hand of government, regardless of intent, ruins things for all, even those at the top because life quality in the broad context is so deeply diminished.

Secondly, nobody is forcing those people to work for Amazon, so far as I am aware. OTOH, it is the UK, so anything disgusting and criminal is possible.

I fully agree on the first part. No debate there. 2nd part, I think a lot of these people are actually very desperate and that is really what is being exploited. Of course, no matter how much or how little freedom we have, there seemingly will always be very desperate people.

[presence]

if I work at an outdoor music festival collecting tickets... and I camp in a tent when I'm not on the clock

legit

but if I work at amazon delivering... and I camp in a tent when I'm not on the clock

shameful




lol

[Jamesiv1]

Campers did it to themselves.

[osan]

2nd part, I think a lot of these people are actually very desperate and that is really what is being exploited.

I don't know how difficult it is to start a business in UK, though I suspect barriers could be high, given what else I know about those foul bastards who govern there.

OTOH, much of what I see about the character of the people also suggests whining, whinging, and expectations that "government" is going to take care of them. For those people in specific I have little to no sympathy. Perhaps I am a primitive, beast of a man, but I regard such people the way chickens regard the weak and sick: they either avoid them or peck them to death. I won't do the latter, but I am in no way moved to sympathy precisely because they choose their wretchedness. If others want to get all weepy-eyed and help out, that is fine by me but I will do nothing to help such people unless they decide they want to learn the way of free men, in which case I will help them all day long to see truth. I am a pathological empath who has had his fill of horrors for one lifetime and will suffer no abuse from others who suffer at their own hands through willful choice, with no apparent consideration for what it might do to those around them.

As for those who would like to start a business but cannot due to the various artificial barriers set by government and others, they have my full sympathy and best wishes. It is for such people that I wish destruction upon those who trod upon them without just cause or authority. The government of the UK is perhaps the most evil on the planet, clever as they may be at cloaking it under just enough veneer to make people believe otherwise.

Of course, no matter how much or how little freedom we have, there seemingly will always be very desperate people.

That is a truth that all free men must accept. The free man realizes he is under no obligation to help others, but that he is free to choose to if he is so moved.

That brings up a fundamental principle about being free: our obligations to our fellows are universally negative. We are obliged to not violate others, which is the other side of the coin of our negative right which is that to be left unmolested by our fellows. The free man is in NO WAY CONCEIVABLE obliged to take positive measures to help his fellow men.

The free man is obliged to keep his hands to himself and not interfere in the rightful actions of another, no matter how viciously repulsive he finds the other's choices.

The free man stands at his leisure to passively watch his brethren meet the most grizzly fates imaginable, if it suits him to remain inert in the face of unspeakable horror. No man may by any means whatsoever compel another to act in positive aid to others, no matter how appalling he may find the inertia.

These are the truths about being free that turn people away from it, for the free man must truly be the superior man even at times where he fears his revulsion will drive him mad with loathing for his fellow men. THAT is what it sometimes means to be free, and it is but one of many reasons the meaner has no interest in it, but rather remains wed to the pretty slavery to which he despicably conflates with freedom out of rank cowardice, gross avarice, prideful ignorance, and revolting languor.

And so it goes - the vast majority of men have chosen to embrace haughty and noble sounding lies that make them feel better about their cowardly and hopelessly corrupt selves, in favor of truths that are at times painful and even horrifying in their real-world results, the acceptance of which would cause them to actually be better men. But they don't want to be better, for that takes work and courage and true understanding of the world around them. They want only to be able to pat themselves on their backs in mutual congratulation at how morally "evolved" they all are. This is the very essence of the progressive "liberal": a weak ego all blown up with high-minded hot air that tells them how superior they are to the rest because they so slavishly adhere to the most impossibly idiotic ideals that have no basis in reasoned principle, and in fact prove utterly alien to positive reality, time after time no matter what tortured permutation might be tried for the umpteenth time to the destruction of countless lives all around them and the impoverishment of all.

That is the world we are building for ourselves. It is the world that praises that which leads to nothing but deeper and more widespread entropy. And as the world sinks further into the muck and mire, these paragons of human failure double-down on their bankrupt notions with impeccably consummate predictability. Moar force, 'cuz muh roads... 'cuz equaliddy... 'cuz raycis... and so on down the clapped-out, mind-melting litany of deeply psychotic delusions for which they believe more of the same will somehow one day bring the changes they think they want. Those are the people who would see children flayed alive if they thought it would get them what they seek. They would grind you into a semi-living pulp, were it in their power, for having the temerity of so much as hinting that perhaps actual freedom might now be somehow a valid alternative to the death-wish notions that have driven humanity to the edges of destruction.

But I digress, yet again. Pardon me, please.

[MelissaWV]

Crappy jobs are designed to be crappy and temporary. One would hope that people would be inspired to keep trying to get out of the muck, but if for some reason they can't, I'm not sure how you're ever going to eliminate all crummy jobs. I suppose you could really help them by shutting the place down. Then they could camp somewhere nicer than behind the warehouse.

[osan]

Crappy jobs are designed to be crappy and temporary. One would hope that people would be inspired to keep trying to get out of the muck, but if for some reason they can't, I'm not sure how you're ever going to eliminate all crummy jobs. I suppose you could really help them by shutting the place down. Then they could camp somewhere nicer than behind the warehouse.

Valid and important point that bears repetition. Since when did flipping burgers at the 'King become a career goal?

[DamianTV]

Valid and important point that bears repetition. Since when did flipping burgers at the 'King become a career goal?

When manufacturing jobs and skilled trades went away, and career laborers have to compete with high school kids for ANY kind of work! Again, govt interference source of problem, as has been stated several times!

[osan]

When manufacturing jobs and skilled trades went away, and career laborers have to compete with high school kids for ANY kind of work! Again, govt interference source of problem, as has been stated several times!

It's become more than just that. Those young(er) people have displayed an attitude that is astonishing. The entitlement mentality has taken full, cancerous root.

[BV2]

Amazon is an awful company. Why anyone shops there is beyond me. Its cheaper? Yeah, I guess thatll do, if you are a cheaper kind of person.

Yeah, and young people suck.

[presence]

Amazon is an awful company. Why anyone shops there is beyond me. Its cheaper? Yeah, I guess thatll do, if you are a cheaper kind of person.

I do most of my shopping online mostly because I'm rural and I don't have to "leave the farm".

What's your beef with amazon?

[BV2]

I do most of my shopping online mostly because I'm rural and I don't have to "leave the farm".

What's your beef with amazon?

Their strategy of relying on investors while selling things cheaply solely to gain market share. Now, funny it is, their prices are going up. The ol' Walmart "made in america" switcharoo-with a twist. Also, I rather like small businesses, retailers included. Particularly bookstores. Not many of those left. Even in Chicago.

And the way they treat their employees strikes me as feudal.

I see the convenience, I do, and I should dial back my original statement to "I dont buy through amazon, I dont like them."

The truth is that amazon threatens me, and others like me, with redundancy. Which is terrifying, lacking the ability to do more skilled work.

I was angry when I wrote that cheaper bit. I take it back

[presence]

Their strategy of relying on investors while selling things cheaply solely to gain market share. Now, funny it is, their prices are going up. The ol' Walmart "made in america" switcharoo-with a twist. Also, I rather like small businesses, retailers included. Particularly bookstores. Not many of those left. Even in Chicago.

Many of the items on amazon are small retailers;
amazon functions kind of like a flea market or consignment more so than a traditional retailer.
I often push products ebay >>> amazon or amazon >>> ebay
Yesterday I needed a salt spreader for my driveway:
I bought 3 on amazon, will sell 2 of them on ebay for more than I paid for the 3.
Likewise... I needed oven mitts the other day; shopped around found deal on ebay;
bought 10 pairs relisting at 2X markup on amazon; I'll walk with a few pairs and small profit.
Technology has caused brick and mortar to go the way of the dodo, but that doesn't meant small business has to.
If you leverage the new tech appropriately it can actually grow your small business.