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Completely missed this. Amazon has a patent for a wristband that tracks workers’ every move + nudged them via vibrations when it judges they’re doing something wrong. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/technology/amazon-wristband-tracking-privacy.html
Jeff Bezos’s $150 Billion Fortune Is a Policy Failure: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/08/the-problem-with-bezos-billions/566552/
Amazon is taking an out-of-the box approach to answering its critics — paying workers to be "ambassadors" and tweet full-time about how satisfied they were at their jobs. https://apnews.com/b59d8fbb2720486db91aa5cbd09b8f88 #1u
Amazon is worried about organizing at Whole Foods, so last week they send out a 45-minute union-busting training video produced by the company to Team Leaders of the grocery chain. https://twitter.com/BryanDisagrees/status/1044973790978068480 #1u
Amazon raises minimum wage for US and UK employees: https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/02/amazon-raises-minimum-wage-us-uk-employees More than 350k US workers will see the minimum wage increase to $15. Interesting the U.S. wage is across the board, while the UK has a higher wage for London. #1u
Amazon Warehouse Workers Lose Bonuses, Stock Awards for Raises: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-03/amazon-eliminating-bonuses-stock-awards-to-help-pay-for-raises
A reminder not to forget the thousands of workers who wear Amazon uniforms, use Amazon equipment, and work out of Amazon facilities, but are not classified as Amazon employees when we're talking about the $15/hr minimum. http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/21509/amazon_third_party_delivery_drivers_wont_get_15_minimum_wage/
Amazon Bails on AI Hiring Program: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/laborprof_blog/2018/10/amazon-bails-on-ai-hiring-program.html
Amazon pushes ICE to buy its controversial technology that can identify people in real time by scanning faces in a video feed: https://thebea.st/2NVnWSc?source=twitter&via=desktop Research is consistent that facial recognition is more likely to mistakenly identify people of color as targets.
When Sears Flourished, So Did Workers. At Amazon, It’s More Complicated. https://nyti.ms/2RcQjgN
This is incredible: Somali Workers in Minnesota Force Amazon to Negotiate https://nyti.ms/2zlHs5R #1u
@ErikLoomis on Amazon’s react to a Black Friday protest in Spain: Corporate Demands on the State to Police Workers. http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2018/11/american-corporate-demands-state-police-workers-global-edition
Employees at Amazon's New NYC Warehouse Launch Unionization Push: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-12/employees-at-amazon-s-new-nyc-warehouse-launch-unionization-push #1u 
Missed this yesterday: Tech Workers Got Paid in Company Stock. They Used It to Agitate for Change. https://nyti.ms/2GmE0xG The move by Amazon’s employees builds upon similar activism at Google this year.
No drones yet, so Amazon needs lots delivery folks. On their model of independent couriers to keep up w/instant demand: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-biz-amazon-package-delivery-20181217-story.html One case filed this month in IL calls the program an "unlawful scheme to attempt to avoid responsibility for paying" delivery drivers.
From books to bullets: inside Amazon's push obtain Pentagon contracts, defend America & “vault from being a bit player to becoming one of the 10 most-dominant federal contractors.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/31/amazon-defense-cloud-computing-pentagon-jeff-bezos Didn’t realize Amazon held >half the worldwide cloud computing market.
Oh, dear: A doorbell company owned by Amazon wants to start producing “crime news” and it’ll definitely end well. https://nie.mn/2IQMqhp
Three Somali women working for Amazon near Minneapolis have accused the company of creating a hostile environment for Muslim workers and of retaliating against them for protesting their work conditions. https://nyti.ms/304zKIV
Missed these bits of Amazon news yesterday, check out this thread. https://twitter.com/veronicaeye/status/1131566907537076226
Amazon Warehouse Workers in MN Plan Prime Day Strike: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-08/amazon-workers-plan-prime-day-strike-despite-15-an-hour-pledge I love to see the burst of activism from the majority-East African workplaces there. More up thread. Solidarity! #1u
Solidarity! #1u
The Biggest Abuser of Forced Arbitration Is Amazon: https://prospect.org/article/biggest-abuser-forced-arbitration-amazon All of Amazon's third-party sellers (2.5M!), responsible for more than half of total sales on the website, must sign a contract that commits them to mandatory arbitration in the event of a dispute.
Hello, #PrimeDay: America's addiction to absurdly fast shipping has a hidden cost to the environment. https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/15/business/fast-shipping-environmental-impact/index.html
At least 200 law enforcement agencies around the country have entered into partnerships with Amazon’s home surveillance company Ring: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/j5wyjy/amazon-told-police-it-has-partnered-with-200-law-enforcement-agencies Local police can see a map w/locations of Ring cameras & request footage directly. They do not need a warrant to ask.
In Pentagon Contract Fight, Amazon Has Foes in High Places: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/us/politics/amazon-pentagon-contract-trump.html The contract is a $10 billion, 10-year gig to transform the military’s computing systems.
Amazon's Ring wants police to keep these surveillance details from you: https://cnet.co/2KLqCTV
Deaths & devastating injuries. A litany of labor violations. Drivers forced to urinate in their vans. Here is how Amazon’s gigantic, decentralized, next-day delivery network brought chaos, exploitation, & danger to communities across America. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolineodonovan/amazon-next-day-delivery-deaths
60 Amazon Workers Walked Out Over Warehouse Working Conditions: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pa7qny/60-amazon-workers-walked-out-over-warehouse-working-conditions They are asking for better pay on the night shift & better working conditions. It's the second work stoppage at the MN fulfillment center in the last two months. #1u
#1u
Is Amazon Unstoppable? Lots on the corporate culture here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/21/is-amazon-unstoppable Politicians want to rein in the retail giant. But Jeff Bezos, the master of cutthroat capitalism, is ready to fight back. Long arse read, but there’s a ton here, making it worth it.
Amazon is flexing its financial power in Seattle’s City Council elections, putting an innovative “democracy voucher” program meant to combat corporate influence at risk. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/us/seattle-council-amazon-democracy-vouchers.html
Seattle race between socialist and Amazon-backed candidate too close to call, but Egan Orion currently ahead of incumbent Kshama Sawant. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/06/seattle-city-council-election-amazon-backed-candidate-socialist About 40% of the vote still out.
Big swing for Sawant, who’s leading with 97% of the vote counted: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/sawant-takes-lead-over-orion-in-seattle-city-council-race-with-friday-vote-count/ A win for Sawant would mean defeats in five of seven contests for candidates backed by Amazon & the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
How a group of Somalis became leaders in the fight to change a tech behemoth: https://www.wired.com/story/meet-the-immigrants-who-took-on-amazon/ A #1u #mustread.
