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Amazon To Hire 75,000 More Workers as Demand Rises Due To Coronavirus (cnbc.com) 65

Amazon is hiring an additional 75,000 workers at its facilities, on top of the 100,000 new positions it created last month, the company said Monday. From a report: In March, the company said it would hire additional warehouse and delivery workers across the country amid a surge in online shopping during the coronavirus outbreak. Since then, Amazon said it has hired more than 100,000 new employees and, as a result, is staffing up even more to help fulfill orders. "We continue to see increased demand as our teams support their communities, and are going to continue to hire, creating an additional 75,000 jobs to help serve customers during this unprecedented time," the company said. As it continues to hire more workers, Amazon has also raised employees' hourly pay and doubled overtime pay for warehouse workers. Through the end of April, warehouse and delivery workers can earn an additional $2 per hour in the U.S.
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Amazon To Hire 75,000 More Workers as Demand Rises Due To Coronavirus

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  • $10/hr (Score:1, Troll)

    No breaks, you're treated like a giant pile of elephant dung all day, NO THANKS! My bro worked at a warehouse a few years ago and hated hated HATED it. Not sure how this qualifies as news...
    • by mi ( 197448 ) <slashdot-2017q4@virtual-estates.net> on Monday April 13, 2020 @09:33AM (#59940732) Homepage Journal

      you're treated like a giant pile of elephant dung all day

      What do you know about the treatment of such, I wonder? Elephants have rather inefficient digestion — which makes their dung quite valuable [africageographic.com]

      My bro worked at a warehouse a few years ago and hated hated HATED it.

      So, he left, good for him... TFA is about others, who exercise their freedom to choose employment.

      Not sure how this qualifies as news...

      If Amazon's firing is [slashdot.org] news [slashdot.org], then so is their hiring.

      • it tolls for thee.

        I YouTube channel had to explain this quote to me because I'm kinda thick. It means that, due to the interconnected nature of human society and life, anything that diminishes one of us diminishes _all_ of us.

        So an Amazon worker being abused is bad for you too. Certainly from the standpoint of empathy. But also from a practical standpoint.

        See, most of them will get crushed by the long hours, low pay and brutally hard work. A few though won't. A few will bust their asses to move
      • "their freedom"

        There's that Stockholm syndrome again that we talked about.

        You literally managed to redefine "work a horrible slave job or starve" as "freedom".

        I'd love you to exercise your "freedom" to get punched in the face, right now.

        • I'd love you to exercise your "freedom" to get punched in the face, right now.

          He can't right now, because of the 6-feet social distancing rule. So unless you're asking him to punch himself, you should have said:

          "I'd love you to exercise your "freedom" to get punched in the face at a later date when this whole pandemic situation is over".

      • Their are those who treasure liberty... and those who label themselves "libertarians."

        There is a difference.

  • by Computershack ( 1143409 ) on Monday April 13, 2020 @09:12AM (#59940670)
    They couldn't exercise proper social distancing before so how are they going to do it with an extra 75,000 staff?
    • They couldn't exercise proper social distancing before so how are they going to do it with an extra 75,000 staff?

      You mean that government overreach is just shifting the problems around? You don't say ...

      We need stuff. We need to get it somehow. All but prohibit us getting it from stores, then we will get it from Amazon. Amazon will need to let people work, to fulfill the orders. Those people will have to go to work.

      It turns out that you can't just magically solve problems after all just by flinging executive orders from the governor's mansion.

      • Even Best Buy is still open. There's a handful of stores that are closed. Gamestop comes to mind. My dog groomer. But there's no shortage of places besides Amazon that will deliver to you.

        Meanwhile the experts say the measures taken to reduce travel have been highly effective at slowing the spread of the virus. I forget who said it, but they made the point that if we could all just sit still for 2 weeks the pandemic would go away.
        • I forget who said it, but they made the point that if we could all just sit still for 2 weeks the pandemic would go away.

          Clearly an idiot said that. Even if you want to destroy the world by shutting off all power, water and food you would also have to find a way for everyone to live alone. If anyone has a family, they'll continue infecting other members of their family over the course of potentially many months. And even if you've broken up all families (leaving babies to die first), you'll still need to lo

        • by mark-t ( 151149 )

          but they made the point that if we could all just sit still for 2 weeks the pandemic would go away

          Somewhat longer than 2 weeks, I'm afraid. You have to wait until the disease has thoroughly run its course in the ones who are infected so that they don't spread a live virus to others the moment restrictions start to get lifted.

          In fact, it's probably closer to something like 8 to 12 weeks.

          • since the reduction of infections in this magic world where we can all freeze in place would be so drastic that the disease would burn out quickly.

            What's keeping this going is that it spreads easily and most of us have to go out for food 2-3 times a week (if you live in an apartment you've got a tiny fridge and freezer).
        • I forget who said it, but they made the point that if we could all just sit still for 2 weeks the pandemic would go away.

          Well I'm sorry but I absolutely can't do that. I mean, I have to move at least my arms and hands in order to work, and sometimes I absolutely need to go to the bathroom. Not to mention that there's no way I'm going to sleep on a freakin' chair.

      • 1. "Government overreach"
        2. literally preventing Amazon from murderig the employees for profit.

        Do you see your Rockefellerian reality distortion bubble now?

  • by pele ( 151312 )

    How thick, really, do you have to be to work for amazon?

    • Seriously.

      If they are continuing to be able to hire new workers to replace the neglected/fired/frustrated/sick/abused/tired current workers, then nothing will change. Except by an act of Congress, and at that point, you're hoping for an act of whatever god you pray to.

    • Any thicker than being a prime member?
    • by DarkOx ( 621550 )

      Provably not very; if you are displaced restaurant, retail, service worker and you have rent to pay that your stimulus check wont cover and kids to feed; it probably looks like better option than letting your family go hungry and facing a future of crippling inescapable debt.

      but go on mock people for trying to survive this increasingly government created economic crisis that will ultimately dwarf the number of people personally impacted and severity of the harm caused by the virus itself.

      • Provably not very; if you are displaced restaurant, retail, service worker and you have rent to pay...

        Then you are or will shortly be getting $600/week in addition to regular unemployment (which is typically 50% of your previous wages) and this money is retroactive to the first partial week of April, and is tax free.

        Amazon wages of $17h * 40h/w = $680/w, before taxes

        A "displaced restaurant, retail, service worker" would be retarded to work 40h/week for $680 before taxes when it a minimum they will be getting $600 after taxes + unemployment for sitting at home.

        Perhaps instead of blathering, you should

        • by DarkOx ( 621550 )

          Shockingly I did know all that; I also know how hard it actually is to apply for unemployment, and how long it sometimes takes for those checks to start coming. I know the small business releif program that is keeping a lot of people in paychecks (CARES ACT) is underfunded and it does not appear Congress is going to get an additionally allocation done anytime soon.

        • Then you are or will shortly be getting $600/week in addition to regular unemployment (which is typically 50% of your previous wages) and this money is retroactive to the first partial week of April, and is tax free.

          You're gonna need to qualify that. For instance, Floridians who find themselves out of work max out at $275/week on unemployment for 12 weeks no matter how much you were making before. If your previous wages don't qualify you for the full $275/week, you stop getting unemployment once your ben

    • say you smoke a little weed and get picked up by the cops (it's still illegal). Judge don't like you so you get the maximum penalty. Maybe it's a second offense. Maybe you had stocked up on the stuff and they decide you're a dealer.

      So now you're gonna be some kind of day laborer. Amazon (thanks to of all people my man Bernie Sanders shaming them) pays $15/hr. As a day laborer you might make $8. Or worse you might get one of those "contract" gigs where you make $4 (I'm not talking Uber, I'm talking thin
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by OrangeTide ( 124937 )

        It's a job for people who don't have a lot of choices.

        Some people feel that we should maximize freedom even if that means some people with a lot of power exploit those with little power. That the burden lies with individuals to seek out their own solution, and keep trying until they get it right.

        Other people feel that we should protect classes of people who, they argue, cannot protect themselves. That businesses should be forced to pay a person enough to get by, regardless of market demands or macroeconomic

      • Oh, piss off. No one's busting people for ridiculous crap like pot anymore. Shit, if anything, during the outbreak we're being actively *encouraged* to patronize our dispensaries in order to "support our local alternative pharmaceutical businesses" and "the vital delivery drivers we depend upon tp provide people their 'medicine'", with a particular emphasis towards sticking it to "the man"/"big Pharma".

        • Shit, if anything, during the outbreak we're being actively *encouraged* to patronize our dispensaries in order to "support our local alternative pharmaceutical businesses"

          Myopic.

          Carolines Cannabis [carolinescannabis.com]

          TEMPORARILY CLOSED

          We continue to monitor the ongoing public health guidance regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Governor Baker has issued an emergency order for the closure of all non-essential businesses effective as of March 24th and will stay in effect until May 4th. Governor Baker has included adult-use cannabis retail operations as non-essential, citing fears of cannabis businesses attracting out-of-state residents which would impact MA ability to contain the

          • Oh gee... you found an outlier. Congratulations.

            Meanwhile, Eaze and Caliva are still delivering. SFFOGG is delivery-only for the duration. The Apothecarium is open for both pickup and deliver in all of its locations. Bloom Room is open and enforcing 6-fooT distancing. And thatâ(TM)s just from a few minutes googling for the biggest names, no hunting on Weedmaps or anything.

            And your ability to find an outlier notwithstanding; yes they are, to a great degree, considered essential:

            https://abcnews.go.com/am [go.com]

            • All you did was find more Myopic evidence. 100% California.

              100% Myopic.

              I didnt find an outlier. I "found" an entire State that shut down the trade, by, you know... knowing what an entire State was doing.

              But its an outlier, right? A whole fucking State? Shithead.
              • Oh. So, you're one of those people.

                Hate to break it to you Bub. But California is not irrelevant. We're still the largest state with the largest economy. And we're not going anywhere, no matter how much hate you might choose to have for us. In fact, if the current projections are correct; we stand to rebound faster and higher than you lot, thanks to our head start on social distancing. And we're still on the right side of history; not your jaundiced dear leader. But hey, let me help you out... becaus

    • A few people actually enjoy working in a warehouse for Amazon. Friend of mine does. He says it's great exercise.

    • It's more about having a choice.
      Aka the market actually being free.
      Aka the prime enemy and attack target of those that always yell "free* market!!".

      _ _ _ _
      (* They mean their freedom to take away your freedom. Them being free to do as they please, against your freedoms.
      And to avoid that misused "them", I personally mean psychopaths like Jeff Bezos, Lloyd Blankfein, and the umbrella organization of libertarian terrorist groups "Mont Pellerin Society". Of which I already found more than one shill commenting he

    • Hopefully not too thick, otherwise you're screwing up everybody's 6-feet social distancing grid.

  • Now, they will still be of food stamps, but now will be polluting the environment and worsening the traffic!!!
  • Already before the virus pandemic they had not the best working conditions, and these jobs are even less safe and unfortunately many new workers will get mass infected :-/ Irresponsible!
    • Not irresponsible.

      If the supply chain stops, the large cities will quickly become Escape From New York.

      I am by no means suggesting anyone should take a job at Amazon, but to call it irresponsible to keep distribution centers operating and meeting demand... bullshit.

      I sure as fuck would suggest getting out of any major city IMMEDIATELY tho. Get the fuck out. Run.

      And we told you so. For decades. The real reason you arent allowed to have a gun in that big city may be about to present itself. Run.
    • Well the big issue is productivity scoring at an Amazon FC / DC is out of step with the rest of the retail logistics industry. They expect to get flat out running performance from every worker every minute. In the blue collar world, generally you have 2 work pattern regimes: A) Boom-Bust and B) Steady but safe speed.

      Easy examples would be (A): restaurant work -- you always have stuff to do, but there is a clear concentration of flat out top speed work for 2-4 hours at a stretch, surrounded by slower work
    • I hope Bezos and the psychopaths (my new band name! :) get it too. Incurably.

      That would certainly be a plus for natural selection. Reducing anything related to Amazon is desperately needed.

      (Although I wish to exclude anyone who was forced to work there because he had no choice. E.g. to bring food on the table, etc, when no other job was actually offered to him. Those who created that situation, shall take their places.)

  • In a month or so.

    Amazon(notTMbecauseitbelongstotheriver)

  • by aaronb1138 ( 2035478 ) on Monday April 13, 2020 @09:45AM (#59940778)
    Let's all keep in mind boys and girls that Amazon's hirings don't cover 1/5 of the already furloughed employee headcounts of big $B non-essential retailers which have already furloughed their workforces (e.g. clothing like Macy's, Kohl's, JCP; or sporting goods like Dick's, REI, Bass Pro).

    This crisis is playing out all too well for Amazon. The expectation in retail was this would be the final heavy slimming down year of bankruptcies, after which the rest of the industry would flourish with healthier competition. Instead shortages and other made up reasons will allow Amazon, Wallmart, and Target to start resetting consumer pricing expectations and start really ripping some margin on traditionally low margin daily needs. Amazon is already infamous here for charging much higher prices than your local grocer on cleaning supplies and toiletries because they aren't cost effective on shipping (e.g. the "shipping friendly" smaller than normal toilet paper rolls they had custom made by major brands).

    Oh and these silent forms of necessary consumer goods inflation will eat up every dime of household stimulus and / or Universal Basic Income being discussed.
  • by reanjr ( 588767 ) on Monday April 13, 2020 @10:04AM (#59940848) Homepage

    Americans also have similar privacy protections through a long tradition of personal responsibility and free association. Just stop using Twitter.

  • How can Amazon's demand be up, but the USPS is claiming that there is a sudden drop in mail volume [jpost.com]?

    Is Amazon not using USPS? Are businesses that make junk mail not essential? Should USPS depend on an business model based around junk mail delivery, even though it waxes and wanes with the economy?

    • Re: (Score:1, Informative)

      How stupid are you? The USPS isn't just Amazon. And what does this have to do with junk mail? No wonder you are a Bernie Bro. You can't even think clearly.

      • I tried to use small words. It seems it didn't help you.

        I'm suggesting there is a discrepancy if Amazon is seeing demand for delivers, but USPS is claiming demand is down.
        If USPS is not seeing delivers, it can be multiple factors, as you say, Amazon isn't the only game in town. One of the obvious factors is of course junk mail. I failed to mention that I personally have seen less junk mail, I may have jump to the conclusion that everyone else is seeing the same thing.

    • Re:Question(s) (Score:4, Interesting)

      by MooseTick ( 895855 ) on Monday April 13, 2020 @11:57AM (#59941270) Homepage

      USPS moves ~472M pieces of mail/day.
      Amazon move ~7M/day.

      Assuming USPS moved 100% of Amazon's volume (which it doesn't) and Amazon was shipping 200% more than normal (which it likely isn't), that would still only account for ~3% of the overall volume.

      https://facts.usps.com/one-day... [usps.com]
      The Postal Service processes and delivers 472.1 million mail pieces each day.

      https://www.forbes.com/sites/a... [forbes.com]
      At the current rate, Amazon is set to pass both FedEx and UPS in US package volume, with the company currently delivering 2.5 billion packages per year compared to FedEx's 3 billion and UPS's 4.7 billion, Morgan Stanley says.

      • Question, is Amazon the only company that ships products through USPS? Is Amazon's demand indicative of a general demand in the industry of online purchases, or unique to only Amazon?

        I put down a couple of dots, and it's fucking hard to drag some of you around to connect them.

    • USPS survives on junk mail, volumes of which are down significantly. Packages are harder to deliver.

      The other issue is that most businesses have switched to electronic document delivery, even for the traditional holdouts. That gets rid of the premium envelope deliveries.

    • Do you ever get any Amazon packages shipped by USPS? It's either UPS or Lasership or Amazon's own delivery service. I can't remember any packages coming by USPS. Only my Ebay packages come by USPS.
      • Do you ever get any Amazon packages shipped by USPS?

        Yes. They arrive in my USPS box, when the box was vandalized I had to go to the post office for months while the repairs were organized. I'm well aware how this all works.

        I'm going to guess you don't have a rural or suburban address if you think Amazon's delivery service even matters to the discussion at hand.

  • by nagora ( 177841 ) on Monday April 13, 2020 @11:02AM (#59941062)

    Bezo's must be praying for another plague once this one is over. I just hope he catches it.

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