this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2025
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Amazon has used tricks, algorithms, and surveillance to discourage warehouse employees from unionizing, according to a paper published in the journal Socius.

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[–] baggachipz@sh.itjust.works 3 points 27 minutes ago

“Accused”? It couldn’t be more obvious.

It’s nothing new; I worked in a call center 15 years ago where the algorithms were designed to work them as hard as possible and steal commissions because they were too tired to pay attention. I should know because they told me to do that, I refused, and was fired for it.

[–] smol_beans@lemmy.world 42 points 8 hours ago

This is what every big company does just sometimes without the algo. This is why we need unions

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 95 points 11 hours ago (3 children)

Me 8 years ago:

I'm absolutely not getting a job at amazon, or ups, or usps. I'm not taking a job where you don't have permission to pee. I'm a human being. I don't care if I'm the president of the united states giving a state of the union address live on tv. If I have to pee, I'd tell the camera "Hey America, go grab a snack or something. I'll be right back in like 2 minutes." Fuck it, if I gotta pee, that's just what I'm going to do. Fuck your profits for 3 minutes. I'M expelling waste.

And then my sister is like "it's not that bad."

Then me reading news 6 years ago that an amazon worker died of a heart attack and his coworkers didn't even stop to call 911.

My sister thinks I made that up.

It really is that bad though, I used to think I was insane when I worked customer service call centre roles and they’d say (like all places I worked), without laughing, that we should get there 15 minutes before our shift to load all our systems. So basically work 75 mins for free each week. Whilst at the same time they pay as little as legally required and monitor your toilet breaks about 9 mins a day.

So naturally I am against this and push back and they say you gotta do it. And I’m like like fuck I do bro I could leave this job now and get another one tomorrow. In the end I was ready to die on this hill so I go in 15 mins early and at the end of the day I log off 15 mins early to get my coat on. Suffice to say I was no longer required to log in early. Most people did it though.

Now to contrast this I am a software developer who has got lucky at a small company, tiny actually. They really care about the staff and the clients. I’m sick quite a lot more than the average person and I overthink things but I am told that WE come first we don’t live to work we work to live. Recently we all got pay rises and our hours reduced. There is no micro managing, no targets and no pressure. Only the pressure my stupid brain puts on myself.

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 6 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

As someone who worked there for a year, the nice thing about Amazon is that managers don't harass you—even if you come in late every single day—and the 40 hours of personal time granted every week is great too. It's the kind of job where you can just put on your headphones and zone out, and never have to come in on days when you don't feel like it. Just call off in the app.

Still wouldn't recommend that anyone works there. Everything else about the job sucks.

[–] daddy32@lemmy.world 6 points 56 minutes ago

40 hours of personal time granted every week is great too

Wtf is this? You have 168 personal hours every week. It is not at the decision of your employer.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

As someone who worked there for a year

In the warehouse?

[–] FRYD@sh.itjust.works 47 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

USPS is unionized. No cameras, Way less micro-management, and you can pee when you want to.

[–] OhVenus_Baby@lemmy.ml 6 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

USPS isn't all sunshine and rainbows. I know multiple regional managers and local district managers as well as post masters. It's a very tough demanding and long job.

A single delivery driver can deliver 630am till 1030pm and still not have all the mail out. While head quarters will deny adding drivers to routes or changing anything to ease the loads.

Don't get me started on mentioning package theft, insurance claims, and other related issues.

[–] dan@upvote.au 10 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Aren't some Amazon warehouses unionized too?

[–] RonnyZittledong@lemmy.world 45 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

You are not a human. You are a meat robot. Just something to be used up and replaced.

[–] MrVilliam@lemm.ee 29 points 10 hours ago

And they're terrified of all the childless cat ladies opting to not produce their next generation of laborer/consumer brood to be said replacement. Hence the crackdown on abortions and contraception and people who pair up in ways that cannot yield children. You can't have the infinite growth that capitalism demands if the number of producers and consumers goes down.

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Negative. I am a meat Popsicle!

[–] 0x0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 6 hours ago

It's gonna be hot Hot HOT!!

[–] MyOpinion@lemm.ee 4 points 7 hours ago

Amazon 101 work them until they break.