In honor of Black Friday, today’s “In the News” column includes numerous stories posted about Amazon this week.

Amazon warehouse injuries more than double the national average!
Ruthless Quotas at Amazon Are Permanently Maiming Employees
“When you order something from Amazon and you’ve worked inside Amazon, you wonder, ‘Hey, is ordering my package going to be the demise of somebody?’ said one former safety manager, who had worked at multiple Amazon facilities.”

“…Safety…secondary concern…lagging far behind line speed”
Workers at Amazon’s Staten Island Warehouse Hold Rally Over High Injury Rates
“The workers, who gathered outside the warehouse around 5:30 p.m., carried signs, chanted slogans and demanded a manager emerge from the building to accept a petition signed by 600 people. It also protests newly released injury data showing that the rate of worker injury at the facility is three times higher than similar warehouse work.”

Amazon Becoming an Advertising Gorilla
Amazon Doesn’t Worry About Selling Things Like It Used To: You’re the Product Now
“Amazon is growing its digital ad business at a faster pace than any other company, with its advertising revenue projected by eMarketer to expand by 33.1% this year.”

Amazon is Making a Lot of Enemies
Athena, a New Anti-Amazon Coalition, Comes Together to Fight the E-commerce Giant
“Over 40 groups said Tuesday they’ve created a new coalition called Athena to push back against Amazon on a variety of fronts.”

Wow! State fraud with Amazon’s safety citations?
Indiana lawmakers call for investigation into Amazon worker death
“The report cites an audio recording that the inspector made in which the state’s top safety administrator tells Amazon officials how to reduce the fines and shift the blame to ’employee misconduct.’ The inspector’s boss later tells him, ‘I hope you don’t take it personally if we have to manipulate your citations.'”

Amazon giving delivery drivers who failed background checks access codes to residences?!
Inside Amazon’s delivery push: Employees and drivers say an overworked system is lax on safety as packages pile up
“At one Amazon delivery facility last year near St. Petersburg, Florida, company badges hung on wall hooks, each one showing the name and photo of an approved driver. Every morning, drivers including those who had not passed background checks grabbed one before going out on the road, even if the badges had someone else’s name and photo on them. In other cases, drivers didn’t even bother with a badge. The practices were tacitly accepted by Amazon managers who had delivery quotas to meet, according to current and former employees of Amazon as well as contractors who spoke to NBC News.”

Inside Scoop on Amazon’s Fake Product Reviews
Fake Product Review Problem Persists For Amazon Customers
“The phantom seller, who controls the ‘buyer’s’ e-mail account, writes glowing reviews of the product, thus boosting the Amazon ranking of the product.”

Black Friday Blockade
Ban Black Friday? French activists block Amazon warehouse in protest
“Protesters…spread hay and old refrigerators and microwaves on the driveway leading to the warehouse in Bretigny-sur-Orge on Thursday. They held signs in front of the gates reading ‘Amazon: For the climate, for jobs, stop expansion, stop over-production!’”

 

 

 

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