tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post1094138729342697096..comments2024-03-22T12:11:58.453-06:00Comments on Michael Offutt: The New York Times article on Amazon's ruthless business practices has me in a state of disquiet and asking why we let our unions die.Michael Offutt, Phantom Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10557969104886174930noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-28234101142314646752015-08-20T21:24:02.719-06:002015-08-20T21:24:02.719-06:00The expose of Amazon is long overdue. I've hea...The expose of Amazon is long overdue. I've heard grumblings for years about how the company treated its workers, and I've long suspected that Jeff Bezos is an asshole who has been getting away with murder. The working conditions at that warehouse sound illegal, but powerful companies get away with illegal practices all the time.<br /><br />Should unions be brought back? Absolutely, but bear in mind that they didn't really fade away; instead they were actively destroyed by powerful corporations and the politicians who work for those corps. <br /><br />On the bright side, the horrific working conditions of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (12 hour days six days a week in dangerous work places, including for child laborers) were finally reformed. The bad news is, it took not only massive unionization but many violent strikes and riots and finally the great Depression, which helped to usher Franklin Roosevelt into the White House, from where he was able to make important labor reforms. Also, countless expensive lawsuits filed by workers or late workers' families reformed dangerous workplaces well before the government began to institute changes.<br /><br />Am I optimistic about the future of the workplace in America? Not really. Some of us have good jobs with good people (I'm one of them). But for serious reform, a whole lot of shit is going to have to hit the fan, and history tells us that it must include violence. So I'm not holding my breath.Helenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14967821142796562697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-74933598084275707962015-08-19T22:03:30.232-06:002015-08-19T22:03:30.232-06:00Did you see the rebuttal article? The one that say...Did you see the rebuttal article? The one that says the claims in this one were overblown? Let me see if I can find it...<br /><br />http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2015/08/amazon_abuse_of_white_collar_workers_i_worked_at_microsoft_and_google_and.html<br /><br />Personally, I think it's the pendulum. A century ago, working conditions were so horrible that unions became necessary. Then the unions got too powerful, and forces fought against them. So, they waned. Only to be needed again as management takes advantage of their weakness. <br /><br />Cycle of life. Liz A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16531953467834426316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-13713822065141623232015-08-19T19:41:26.503-06:002015-08-19T19:41:26.503-06:00I heard part of this story on TV recently, but one...I heard part of this story on TV recently, but one thing I'm wondering is if that many people are working these long hours, how do they afford the overtime? Some of these things don't even sound legal. I would think that daily performance reviews would take people away from their jobs way too much, which would be unproductive. <br /><br />Anyway, I find the whole thing disappointing. Amazon should be a leader on the "great companies to work for" list. Not a sweat shop. Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07922596724107742478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-65996362631884586512015-08-19T14:28:01.996-06:002015-08-19T14:28:01.996-06:00We have a new warehouse nearby, and I've known... We have a new warehouse nearby, and I've known a few people who worked there. They don't work there anymore. Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08051255914419363819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-39907219104364788242015-08-19T11:16:30.087-06:002015-08-19T11:16:30.087-06:00Unfortunately it is the norm in an environment whe...Unfortunately it is the norm in an environment where decent paying jobs are scarce. Companies do it because they know they can get away with it but let's not romanticize unions. Entrenched unions killed quite a few industries in the United States though admittedly the entitlement that grew in post WW2 American management wasn't much better.<br /><br />A better solution is a US Labor department with minimum working guidelines and enough funding so it can proactively address anonymous tips about labor issues. Unfortunately the Congress has shown over time that it can be bought which has gutted the power of the DoL business oversight.Kevin Longhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01092721842140433268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-18810051412555869862015-08-19T09:12:02.764-06:002015-08-19T09:12:02.764-06:00When i was a kid I heard about such factory work c...When i was a kid I heard about such factory work conditions and it inspired me to get a college education so I could work with my mind instead of my hands and back. I was fortunate; college loans are crippling these days, and many people aren't blessed, like I was, with parents who can afford to send their kids to college.stephen Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17659054447637207734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-49915473045430925112015-08-19T07:23:03.275-06:002015-08-19T07:23:03.275-06:00It does sound like a terrible place to work.It does sound like a terrible place to work.PT Dillowayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09394481476862013009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-52434266026564303282015-08-19T06:48:25.125-06:002015-08-19T06:48:25.125-06:00Yikes. I usually like to stay happily oblivious, b...Yikes. I usually like to stay happily oblivious, but I thought the days of sweat shops were long gone. Crystal Collierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03912469552483168148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-24064055939856459252015-08-19T06:21:40.924-06:002015-08-19T06:21:40.924-06:00It happens all the time. I mean whenever there is ...It happens all the time. I mean whenever there is something or some one too good to be true they are. We find wrong things about right places and people and disappointment creeps up all over again. Situations like this one, I just hope that the news are wrong. MunirGhiasuddinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05232362559666320301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2495499100279472520.post-60075760797226950542015-08-19T03:41:29.658-06:002015-08-19T03:41:29.658-06:00I'd heard about Amazon's warehouse working...I'd heard about Amazon's warehouse working conditions and how horrible they were. You're right - why would anyone want to work for a company like that?<br />And unions aren't dead. I belong to one at my workplace.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.com