AMAZON drivers forced to deliver 200 parcels a day -- with no toilet breaks!

a reply to: seasonal

I don't use Amazon, I'm against virtually everything the company stands for. I feel more strongly about an Amazon boycott than I do a Walmart boycott.

From the cut throat screw over your coworker approach of the white collar work, to the treatment of order bundlers, to how they treat drivers. Those low prices they offer come at a very real human cost, one I'm not willing to support.

Instead, I order from companies directly... it costs a couple bucks extra, but it makes a difference to the workers in the supply chain.

a reply to: Trueman

Why is putting in long days like that a virtue? Shouldn't we be aiming for people having an easier work schedule? If long days are the norm, your employer has screwed up.

originally posted by: JimNasium
a reply to: seasonal



Good thing Chris†mas™ is just "seasonal" ....


May as well add the thread about the delivery driver leaving a "poopie" in Sacto... Wasn't there video on that one?

Here's the problem I see with seasonal work like this, which is also part of why I don't ask for, or give presents for Christmas. We don't have other seasonal work to make up the working hours throughout the rest of the year. So the people employed here are largely abused because it's their only job all year long (or a second job), not just one of many.

It would be a better working environment for all involved if you spread those presents out to people over the year... bigger birthday presents for example.

originally posted by: carewemust
It's interesting that in Chicago, UBER drivers are switching to Amazon delivery. Was just reading a local forum. Apparently $250 for delivering 170 packages is an attractive alternative for them.

That's because UBER is an even worse company than Amazon. Lyft is much more ethical.

originally posted by: projectvxn
a reply to: texasgirl

They did.

Not sure what is going on with it. I'm gonna be working my way out of Nevada over the next few years.

Too many people from California bringing their gangs and their politics with them.

The economy up here sucks. Nothing but warehouse work. Soon as I'm finished with my degree it will be as long as it takes to sell my house and I'm out of here.

I've heard Reno is in pretty good shape. I grew up in Reno, my company has an office there now. Maybe in a year or two I might transfer back. I enjoy the area. I think you're further north though from comments you've made before... though pretty much everyone north of Tonopah considers themselves in Northern Nevada in my experience.

Personally i wouldn't mind working 11+ hours a day. If you don't like your job you should find one that you do enjoy.

originally posted by: TheMZA
Personally i wouldn't mind working 11+ hours a day. If you don't like your job you should find one that you do enjoy.

Maybe get back to us when you have had a proper job, huh?

I've had jobs where I worked 16 or 20 hours on the bounce. They were easy for the most part.

I have also done jobs where I was beat after 4 hours and spent the lunch break dreading the next four.

Realistically, as a society we should be heading for 30 hour weeks, not 11 or 12 hour days.

originally posted by: SprocketUK

originally posted by: TheMZA
Personally i wouldn't mind working 11+ hours a day. If you don't like your job you should find one that you do enjoy.

Maybe get back to us when you have had a proper job, huh?

What do you mean by that?

a reply to: Aazadan



I saw a sign in a yard that read "Jesus, the reason for the season.." The last guy in the world who'd want You to chop down a perfectly LIVING tree, buy some un-wanted and un-needed "gifts" and then hide the gifts under trinkets and shiny paper. Then wait at the door at 0600 hrs. on Dec. 26th to return the crappy sweater and flannel 'jammies' for a 'Gift Card'...

Yeah, makes ¢ent$ but not 'SENSE'

So I was just working at an Amazon for a few weeks upgrading their lights to LED's and I saw many trucks sitting. If anything the truckers seemed anxious to get going. I could be wrong.

originally posted by: TheMZA

originally posted by: SprocketUK

originally posted by: TheMZA
Personally i wouldn't mind working 11+ hours a day. If you don't like your job you should find one that you do enjoy.

Maybe get back to us when you have had a proper job, huh?

What do you mean by that?

wow, slow? You said, and I quote "I wouldn't mind working 11+ hours a day, if you don't like your job you should find one you enjoy"

Utterly ignorant statement obviously made by someone who has yet to do a real day's work.

Its like when some gimp on telly says we all gotta knuckle down and tighten our belts...You know he means you, not him.

originally posted by: SprocketUK

originally posted by: TheMZA

originally posted by: SprocketUK

originally posted by: TheMZA
Personally i wouldn't mind working 11+ hours a day. If you don't like your job you should find one that you do enjoy.

Maybe get back to us when you have had a proper job, huh?

What do you mean by that?

wow, slow? You said, and I quote "I wouldn't mind working 11+ hours a day, if you don't like your job you should find one you enjoy"

Utterly ignorant statement obviously made by someone who has yet to do a real day's work.

Its like when some gimp on telly says we all gotta knuckle down and tighten our belts...You know he means you, not him.

lol you have no idea what you are talking about. I did landscaping in Florida in the summer and i loved it. When i got the opportunity to get paid more by working more hours, i took it.

a reply to: TheMZA

Like I thought. Part timer without a family to feed.
Come back when you spent a winter doing forestry for just enough to cover the mortgage etc.

originally posted by: SprocketUK
a reply to: TheMZA

Like I thought. Part timer without a family to feed.
Come back when you spent a winter doing forestry for just enough to cover the mortgage etc.

Part timer lol wut? Goal posts obliterated.
You are making far to many assumptions to make a point that is not entirely clear. I did work 8 hours plus year round. How on earth did you reach the conclusion that i worked part time and had no family?

originally posted by: TheMZA

originally posted by: SprocketUK
a reply to: TheMZA

Like I thought. Part timer without a family to feed.
Come back when you spent a winter doing forestry for just enough to cover the mortgage etc.

Part timer lol wut? Goal posts obliterated.
You are making far to many assumptions to make a point that is not entirely clear. I did work 8 hours plus year round. How on earth did you reach the conclusion that i worked part time and had no family?

Well, you said you did it in the summer, which implies it was the sort of job some college kid would do. You certainly wouldn't have had such a great time in the winter....So, you work full time at this then? 40plus hours a week? Have a mortgage? A partner? Kids? All relying on you bringing home the bacon?
Or did you do a bit of work during the summer holidays, come home every night to a nice dinner cooked by your mum, clean clothes, and no chores all the while paying no bills, just saving up for spring break or the deposit on a new car?

And working a job for 8 hours that you find easy enough to think about doing an extra three or four in no way means you know what it is like to do 11 or more hours a day at a tough job where the pay frequently doesn't reflect the effort you put in.

a reply to: SprocketUK

Rather than get in this pissing match over who is doing real work, why not ask yourself... why should work be miserable? Why is it not reasonable to expect working conditions to be such that work is tolerable if not outright enjoyable? The US (or UK as this story seems to take place in) is one of the most successful countries in the world, why shouldn't that be a reasonable expectation of our working environment?

And if it's not... shouldn't there be a system in place such that you can afford to support a family while retooling for a career where that is the norm?

Im sorry but if you can stop long enough to poo in a bag and disgard it you have time to stop at a gas station u pass and use it. This seems a little over exaggerated.

a reply to: TinySickTears

They aren't making below minimum wage. If they are, then the DOL will audit Amazon and levy penalties like any other company failing to meet minimum wage requirements will do.

Just because you are an independant contractor won't save the company, either. They audit independant contractors to ensure you aren't using that classification to screw people over.

I have to be honest here if we are on a long range transport i n the fixed wing or chopter with a sick kid we can got 10+ hours without any break Toilet or otherwise in what is kind of flying pressure cooker at times.....

heck ask any nurse. Its routine to go long periods without any sort of break if things are hopping

The original story is about the UK, not the US. I don't know how things work in the US, but here in the UK, heres how it generally works.

Amazon contracts a company to handle its deliveries. Lets call that company NotAmazonDeliery or NAD to avoid naming any actual companies like YODEL.

NAD then advertises for self-employed delivery contractors. Why self employed? Minimum wage and other protections dont apply to self-employed.

NAD then pays them a small amount of money to dress their vans out in NAD livery. They also tell you that in order to remain contracted by them, you must deliver an average of x parcels a day, averaged over a week. They tell you that if you remain contracted to them for less than a year, you must repay the cost of having your van done out in their livery.

The only way to maintain that average, is to not take toilet breaks, because if you take toilet breaks, your average drops below the contracted level, and you end up seriously out of pocket, and with your "contract" terminated.

Also because they pay a set rate per parcel, you end up working for less than minimum wage.

I'm seriously glad my friend managed to get out of that gig and get a properly paid job.