History does seem to be repeating itself.
Amazon is being lauded for the numbers of jobs it is creating. I find this truly ironic since Amazon is a company that is intent upon developing a full, end-to-end automated system yet the media (and politicians) are applauding Amazon's job creation.
COVID-19 changed many things very quickly. One thing, however, that remains the same is corporate America's commitment to Wall Street. Corporations exist to benefit their shareholders. This is a point that many want to dispute but is shown to be true every quarter.
Amazon has been accused of using technology to make the working conditions of its employees unbearable. This is especially true in their warehouses. Because of the ability to track every package in real time, the company knows what is taking place at every phase of the process. Employees are monitored every second they are at work.
The company has stated that it has stopped writing up employees for ToT infractions. This is time spent away from one's workspace. The company claims, due to COVID-19, it is allowing employees extra time to use the bathroom while washing hands and engaging in sanitary practices.
It is a claim that is being disputed. In fact, one employee is stating she is being targeted under ToT for speaking out against the company.
Hibaq Mohamed, who works out of Amazon’s Shakopee, Minnesota facility, known as MSP1, said in a letter to Attorney General Keith Ellison that she was written up on July 10 for spending too much time away from her work station, or logging too many “time off tasks.” If workers take a break from scanning packages for too long, Amazon’s internal systems will log it as a TOT and generate a warning, which can later lead to firings.
Her account appears to contradict Amazon’s filing in a separate court case, where the company says it “ceased providing productivity rate feedback to associates and imposing any discipline related to low productivity rates” in March, and extended the policy indefinitely in April.
Mohamed is asking Ellison for protection under an executive order he signed in May and extended this week, which orders employers not to discriminate or retaliate against employees who raise concerns about unsafe working conditions tied to the pandemic. Ellison declined to comment on Mohamed’s letter.
https://cnbc.com/2020/07/17/amazon-worker-claims-company-wrote-her-up-for-tot-policy-in-july.html
It is hard to defend Amazon. There are enough reports out there detailing how the company does operate. Of course, this are simply keeping up with the promises they make to their customers. With a public that wants instant delivery, Amazon aims to please. This means employees are pushed beyond what is often reasonable.
At the same time, the company's R&D department is working hard on automation. This is something that cannot be overlooked. Every year, more of their process is tied to technology, ultimately costing jobs.
Turning to government is a fruitless proposition. As evidenced by the company's fight in New York, even a loss for Amazon is not a win for the public. New York was able to turn away an Amazon headquarters, a move that would have created 25,000 jobs. The fight was over tax concessions. Of course, now, instead of getting 70% of the tax revenue, the state gets zero.
In the end automation always win. The traditional labor versus management is a pointless debate since management has automation on its side. There is no way to stop the progress. In fact, too big a fight means that automation will only be accelerated.
Many are projected that COVID-19 pushed the pace of automation implementation up by 4 years. If this is correct, employees have little to stand on. If there is a push to change things, robots and AI will appear while pink slips are handed out.
Of course, governments can try to step in and stop the process. This will be fruitless too since company executives will simply stagnate wages further due to the threat of automation replacing the workers.
If people have not realized it by now, the entire COVID-19 episode favored the mega corporations and made them a great deal stronger. For months I have been saying this is a major power grab and here is an example. Governments and mega corporations are coming out far ahead.
Concerned about your health? Companies will tell you to stay home as they replace you with robots and AI.
Computer viruses are much easier to deal with than those that affect humans. Human employees are now the enemy.
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