Amazon’s iconic containment company

news-single-imgcaption" style="width:240px">According to Forbes, Jeff Bezos, the boss of Amazon, made an additional $ 25 billion during the pandemic. (Keystone)

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Indispensable but accused of all evils, Amazon, giant of online business and the cloud (remote computing), has become the emblematic company of “Great containment”, a quasi public service that many consumers, employees and elected officials love to hate .

“Amazon is becoming an international empire, founded by Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, who has a very important influence on the economy. This invites a deep examination of their activity”, notes Jane McAlevey , researcher at the Labor Center at the University of Berkeley, very critical of the company.

In France, the government is demanding a better assessment of the risks linked to the health crisis; the distribution centers have been closed for a month. The climate is not much more serene across the Atlantic. Several work stoppages have been organized, a rare phenomenon in the United States.

“They are a minority to go on strike, but they represent thousands, even hundreds of thousands of other workers who are demanding better protections, better wages and social security coverage,” said Steve Smith, director of communications for a federation of Californian unions.

Amazon officials feel a sense of disproportionate attack, even if they expect to be held to higher standards than the rest of the industry, given the outsized dimension acquired by the company.

But the deaths of warehouse workers (seven people, at this stage, according to the American press) and the dismissals of employees who criticized the group have rekindled tensions.

Profits

Management has said these people have been dismissed for repeatedly violating the regulations – for continuing to work after being tested positive for Covid-19, among other things.

In terms of crisis management, Amazon has recruited 175,000 additional employees in the United States to cope with the explosion in demand, increased employees paid by the hour and created a relief fund for contract workers.

It also made it mandatory to wear distributed masks and set up temperature controls at the entrance to warehouses, among other measures.

In late April, Jeff Bezos announced that the $ 4 billion in operating profit forecast for the second quarter would be fully reinvested, including to create a large-scale virus testing infrastructure.

“Amazon spends all of its profits on mitigating the risks associated with the coronavirus, while Apple has so much money that it buys stocks and increases dividends,” said Avi Greengart, technology specialist at Techsponential.

But the group received a zero for militants. “Two dollars more an hour doesn’t make much difference,” indignant Steve Smith, “while they have the means to make decent, middle-class jobs.”

“Amazon is already offering what unions are asking for: $ 15 an hour minimum, comprehensive social security coverage, career opportunities in a modern and safe workplace,” said Lisa Levandowski, spokesperson for the group.

It encourages detractors to compare with other large employers.

Democracy

“Ten years ago, Walmart supermarkets set industry standards. Today, it is the responsibility of Amazon, which directly or indirectly employs one in four warehouse workers,” said Dania Rajendra, director of Athena.

This organization brings together associations that work on the social and environmental costs related to the titan’s activities, from pollution to anti-competitive practices, including employee monitoring and working conditions.

“We are asking the question: is Amazon brutalizing the communities of people affected by its activity?”, Says Rajendra.

According to Patrick Moorhead, expert in technology groups, Amazon is acting more than it seems, in particular to minimize its impact on the environment.

“They have made a lot of progress. Amazon’s concern is above all that they do not communicate enough about their efforts,” he argues. But for Jane McAlevey, the company “largely deserves the blows it receives”.

According to Forbes, Jeff Bezos made an additional $ 25 billion during the pandemic.

The researcher accuses her, like other American billionaires, of not paying enough taxes while giving herself a good conscience with donations, proportionately derisory, to charitable foundations.

“The minimum required to ensure the functioning of democracy is the regulation of businesses and the payment of taxes,” she asserts.

She also deplores the absence of unions, “the only way to obtain decent working conditions”. “They have amassed incredible wealth at the expense of the planet and the health of certain communities. Amazon should be nationalized,” she said. (awp)

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