Poll of the Day > Amazon starts every employee at $18/hr.

(+) Yeah! (+)

But they are apparently evil.

You clearly don't understand. Everyone who has more money than I do is inherently and objectively evil, and should be torn down and forced to give their money to me without me doing anything to actually earn it.







...it's almost as if a generation of participation trophy kids all grew up to be entitled narcissistic assholes. Who could possibly have predicted it?

it's a job you can get without an interview. if you do not like the job you can use it as a stepping-stone for something else or just a way to get income while you look for another job.

Thats not really a lot tbh

I'm making more than that now and can afford to rent out a shed for $150/month.

I'm also not exposed to the daily health risks their employees are and am pretty confident my company would not force me to continue working next to a deceased coworker who succumbed to unsafe working conditions.

If you have the skills and education for something better, good for you. It's not a great job, but it's something for those without skills or just need a job.

we_dey posted...

Thats not really a lot tbh

It depends where you live. Eighteen dollars an hour for unskilled labor is absurdly good for Michigan. It's insultingly low and borderline slave wages in California.

Are we supposed to be impressed by that wage?

Also, you can totally be evil and still pay your workers properly (not that Im saying thats happening here).

ParanoidObsessive posted...

You clearly don't understand. Everyone who has more money than I do is inherently and objectively evil, and should be torn down and forced to give their money to me without me doing anything to actually earn it.

...it's almost as if a generation of participation trophy kids all grew up to be entitled narcissistic assholes. Who could possibly have predicted it?

It's more like people who dedicate more than half of their waking hours to some corporation so their CEO can do coke donuts from the ass of an expensive hooker would like to be able to support themselves on a basic level.

Depends on which warehouse/fulfillment center/State

didn't they institute cry booths in their warehouses because the work conditions were that bad during the pandemic

Krow_Incarnate posted...

It's more like people who dedicate more than half of their waking hours to some corporation so their CEO can do coke donuts from the ass of an expensive hooker would like to be able to support themselves on a basic level.

This sounds like something that definitely happens.

pay isn't the only indicator of exploitation, working conditions are important.

Amazon starts every worker at less than minimum wage? Yes that's pretty illegal.

Judgmenl posted...

Amazon starts every worker at less than minimum wage? Yes that's pretty illegal.

Did the minimum wage go way up finally?

Thats decent pay for anywhere outside of the coastal states. Even so they still had insane turnover back when $15 was considered a lot.

hockey7318 posted...

Did the minimum wage go way up finally?

Minimum wage here is currently $15.00. My bad, thought it was $18.75.

And there is a lot of hours!

But seriously, I don't know how the situation is in the US, but here that is actually a lot of money (maybe because my coin is shit right now).

Makes me want to quit my job and look for some remote work there, which probably would pay even more

With a bit of investing on the side, I would be a millionaire before 40

TimeForAction posted...

Thats decent pay for anywhere outside of the coastal states. Even so they still had insane turnover back when $15 was considered a lot.

I wouldnt really call it decent. I live in bumfuck Wisconsin. Rent starts at about 1200 and thats for a slum. The decent apartments are closer to 1500 and the good ones are 2000+. Cars are a requirement because we barely have a bus system, so gas, insurance, maintenance, Utilities, food, healthcare, retirement, taxes, clothing, etc. you are basically pay check to pay check. Maybe able to put a bit away for emergency funds or savings or the occasional splurge item, it may not be as bad as on the coast but its still its closer to what minimum wage should be than a decent pay.

Revelation34 posted...

This sounds like something that definitely happens.

Way to miss the point, my guy.

agesboy posted...

didn't they institute cry booths in their warehouses because the work conditions were that bad during the pandemic

Yep, the last center I worked at called it a Zen booth.
Not sure if it still exists since associates used it as an excuse to hop in it and use their phone

Contractors too?

18 an hour is honestly pretty much standard pay for warehouse work in most places. 16 or 17 an hour and people will start going elsewhere

PMarth2002 posted...

pay isn't the only indicator of exploitation, working conditions are important

Amazon honestly has pretty great working conditions compared to other businesses. I'm a warehouse manager so I deal with Amazon workers every day. They are usually the whiniest people I encounter. Makes me wonder if Amazon is actually as bad as people say or if they're just a bunch of pussies

agesboy posted...

didn't they institute cry booths in their warehouses because the work conditions were that bad during the pandemic

That's a fair thing to consider. The demand of Amazon delivery is astronomical and the pandemic exacerbated this exponentially. Everyone wants their stuff and they want it now. And someone has to do it, or rather, a lot of someones. It's rough, but at a certain point, you gotta realize what you're getting into when you sign up for the job.

How many people who complain about the ethics of Amazon are using their services regularly? The unquenchable demand from the customers could carry a lot of the blame.

Salrite posted...

How many people who complain about the ethics of Amazon are using their services regularly? The unquenchable demand from the customers could carry a lot of the blame.

It could if the situation were less monopolistic. There are quite a few things these days that you just straight up can't get these days without going through Amazon, thanks to Amazon putting so many potential competitors out of business. Now, many of those things aren't strictly necessary, especially now that we're out of pandemic lockdowns and no longer have to rely so much on delivery for essentials, and people could instead just not buy them instead of buying from Amazon, but the state of the market still means people don't always have the kind of choices available that are needed to claim it's a free enough market for consumers to carry the blame for how companies treat their employees.

Salrite posted...

The unquenchable demand from the customers could carry a lot of the blame.

i don't think it's the customers' fault that the employees of the second largest company in the world are run so ragged they have to pee in bottles

and there were reports of that before the pandemic

adjl posted...

It could if the situation were less monopolistic. There are quite a few things these days that you just straight up can't get these days without going through Amazon, thanks to Amazon putting so many potential competitors out of business. Now, many of those things aren't strictly necessary, especially now that we're out of pandemic lockdowns and no longer have to rely so much on delivery for essentials, and people could instead just not buy them instead of buying from Amazon, but the state of the market still means people don't always have the kind of choices available that are needed to claim it's a free enough market for consumers to carry the blame for how companies treat their employees.

That's a fair point but I'm curious how true that actually is. As in, I'm sure there are plenty of online markets that aren't Amazon with delivery fulfilled elsewhere. Definitely not as mainstream and you might have to do some digging, but they're probably out there.

But aside from that, what can truly compete with Amazon to fulfill its demand? And how much can you really blame a company for successfully meeting this demand? Shopping locally will always be tricky for smaller areas. This is just the consequence of an ever-increasing globalized world.

To be fair, when I was at Amazon when the pandemic started, we were offered unlimited unpaid time off (until further notice) or the option to stick around and work for either time and a half or double time (I dont remember which one it was, but we were raking it in) plus "hazard pay"

I took 2 week offs and that's all the "shelter in place" I got to experience.

Amazon starts every employee at $18/hr.

But they are apparently evil.

Less so than Wal-mart; But from the horror stories I've heard, yeah, a necessary evil (because brick and mortar stores are lazy).