12 Comments
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Jim Carmichael's avatar

Profit above all: there simply has to be something more to American life than money and consumption. Prosperity as envisioned by Founding Fathers approximated “enough” more than “excess”. Materialism without a moral base demeans all of us.

VALERIE MELUSKEY's avatar

Thank you Judd and team. This exposure demands a legal redress of working conditions...everywhere. Thinking of the meat-packing facilities where covid first became rampant. If workers benefitted greatly by taking these risks--if they were part owners and had choice to leave or stay when facing warnings--maybe.... Has nothing changed since Upton Sinclair's THE JUNGLE?

Donald Clarke's avatar

The culture at Amazon Web Services is also brutal. Employees are expected a relentless increase in productivity on a 6-month cadence until the bar is so high that they burn out or are fired. Amazon doesn’t care because there is an endless stream of young software developers who want AWS on their resume. America never relinquished slavery, it just found better ways to implement it and to bribe lawmakers to support it.

Abby's avatar

Very good point. Black slavery was the only "legal" slavery, and therefore was challenged in the courts, but many other forms of forced labor flourish in the shadows.

Nell Walton's avatar

Great article today. If what is reported is accurate about no tornado drills that seems very stupid and shortsighted. I lived for a time in Tornado Alley (near where this superstorm started - Monette, AR) and it was a matter of course that you learned where to run when the tornado came. Routes to tornado shelters are posted in most buildings. Did they have this? Did they have the shelters? Drills not performed (as you said)? If you build factories in tornado country you just have to expect to get hit at some point, especially now as storms are getting stronger and more frequent. Working through tornado warnings and not going to shelters?? - well, I admit there are sometimes a lot of false alarm sirens, but ignoring them is just like ignoring a fire alarm. You're going to get burnt eventually. If they made them work through those sirens, then just damn Amazon management all to Hell and I hope those responsible are criminally prosecuted.

Lisa Farrar's avatar

Congratulations on the Bloomberg Businessweek's Jealousy List inclusion. That's wonderful news.

SeekingReason's avatar

These crazy stresses on Amazon workers are put there so we can get our orders instantly. It has become an expectation and needs to stop. The internet gained speed and in response we have become impatient and demanding.

Years ago, pizza places raised the competition by guaranteeing 10 minute deliveries etc. They would dock the pay of low-paid drivers if the goal was not achieved. Unsurprisingly, pizza delivery workers started getting into crashes. The law stepped in to put an end to these unrealistic time demands.

We all need to think of workers as the people they are, with loved ones. People over profit!

Jayb's avatar

The truth is we can all do something to show what we think and to help the workers at Amazon and ultimately, ourselves. We can get over the convenience of having cheap stuff sent to us overnight and we can shop elsewhere. Not easy, I'm not immune, but if we all did it...

Nancy's avatar

Can you confirm? Jeff Bezos stated earlier this year that Amazon will go bankrupt. He should know....

VALERIE MELUSKEY's avatar

That must be a ploy to avoid taxes...reminiscent of DJT.

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Dec 15, 2021
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Hazel's avatar

"Let them eat cake" Our 1% ers make Marie Antoinette look good

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Dec 15, 2021
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VALERIE MELUSKEY's avatar

Yes! "essential workers" but so easily replaced.... Who and what will they for for? I'm concerned that they vote, that they get assistance to become registered (remember every time one moves, once has to re-register), that the Voters' Rights groups reach out and make it easier for those working so many hours to either vote by mail or vote however their location requires.