On Thursday, Motherboard reported that Amazon supply drivers in Palmdale, California have gone on strike, a primary for the corporate. The drivers, who unionized with the Teamsters in April and had been acknowledged by Amazon “Supply Service Associate” (DSP) Battle-Examined Methods in Could, are demanding higher pay and improved security situations. The 84 hanging employees walked out on Thursday.
Motherboard’s unique article used the headline “Amazon Supply Drivers Stroll Out in First-Ever Driver Strike.” Afterwards, a consultant from Amazon emailed the publication to ask that it change its headline. From Motherboard’s article:
“I’m writing to ask for those who’d be open to updating your headline of the story you simply posted,” the spokesperson wrote. “It reads that these drivers are ‘Amazon drivers’ and that’s inaccurate given they’re employed by Battle-Examined Methods. Would you replace the headline to learn ‘drivers delivering for Amazon’?”
However Amazon, which makes use of contractor labor for almost all of its fleet, workouts plenty of management over these individuals it doesn’t technically make use of. Getting past the truth that they put on Amazon garments and often drive supply vehicles wrapped in Amazon’s art work, the corporate has tightly controlled what its drivers are allowed to appear to be and submit on-line, exercises control over when drivers can return if situations are unsafe, and forces drivers to accept AI surveillance to be hired.
Though these drivers put on Amazon uniforms, drive Amazon vehicles, establish themselves as Amazon staff, are constantly monitored and surveilled by Amazon managers, and obtain their work assignments from Amazon, Amazon has tried to legally separate itself from these staff by a sham “Supply Service Associate” (“DSP”) construction. Beneath this DSP construction, Amazon finds people—typically with little to no expertise working companies—and purports to assist these people “begin” companies, all whereas promoting them a false fantasy.
The grievance factors out too that Amazon offers branded vehicles and uniforms, units targets and situations, terminates staff unilaterally, and rather more. In accordance with the doc, Battle-Examined Methods additionally operates from the identical Amazon facility, DAX8, as three different “equally captive” DSPs.
The doc additionally describes the situations the drivers face, which incorporates driving with out air con in “inhumane warmth” within the desert, the place temperatures can hit 118 levels Fahrenheit. Contained in the vans, drivers speaking with Motherboard described inner 130-plus-degree temperatures that really feel “like strolling into an oven.”
Circumstances like that aren’t unusual within the supply world. In reality, final week, whereas representing greater than 340,000 drivers, the Teamsters scored a tentative deal to place air conditioners — air conditioners! — in the entire small package deal supply autos owned by UPS.