My name is Catherine Gaja. I’m a 17 year old Canadian, and I’ll be graduating in 3 months; this means that inevitably, I’ll have to enter the workforce like many of my peers have already. When I choose a job, I’ll have to consider a multitude of factors: who is willing to hire me, the benefits of being their employee, and most importantly, what the job will require of me. This is also why the reputation of a company needs to be solid; I won’t apply for a job at a place where I will be unhappy, a place where others have had their rights as workers violated.

One of those places being the corporate giant, Amazon.

According to a study done in 2023 by the University of Chicago, 

41% of Amazon workers have reported injuries on the job, and

60% report more on-the-job surveillance than at their previous jobs.

These statistics sum up the Amazon workplace’s most infamous problems. If you were to do a quick search on the internet of what it is like to be an Amazon employee, you are likely to be faced with first-hand accounts of daily labour taking a toll on the health of workers, paired with Amazon’s surveillance constantly monitoring if employees are fulfilling their demanding quotas. Each report is unique and each offers a different perspective, since Amazon is a global company and has warehouses across the world.

That is why it is such an issue: the problems are similar at nearly every Amazon warehouse, but the fact that according to Statista, over 1.5 million people worldwide are employed by the company. 

If over 1 million people are going to be employed by Amazon, those same people need to be treated fairly.

One of the most popular solutions that has been proposed is to unionize the workers, but according to Ethical Consumer, an organization actively petitioning consumers to avoid Amazon, leaders of labour unions reported that Amazon retaliated by union-busting, and in 2022, the company reportedly spent 14 million on anti-union consultants.

The biggest barrier workers face is the fact that since Amazon is such a huge company, it can afford to step on employees, avoid taxes and violate the rights of the people. But the fact that the company has enough power does not excuse undermining the rights and wellbeing of  workers.

Amazon should not be infamous for its global mistreatment of workers.

 

In order for the Amazon company to improve it’s working conditions, the following actions need to be made:

Direct changes of policy at Amazon: This could include a variety of mandates, such as human resource workers from a third party monitoring and enforcing workplace protections, new safety standards, and even

Continue to advocate for unionization: This responsibility falls in the hands of the Amazon workers themselves. It also relies upon their resistance towards higher-ups at the company, since those higher-ups are the ones pushing against unions. 

What individual consumers can do to help:

Support the Make Amazon Pay coalition: This coalition works towards making Amazon face the consequences of its unsustainability through protests and strikes. The coalition aims to make the company pay fair wages and the taxes it has consistently avoided.

Stop supporting Amazon: One of the easiest ways to push back at Amazon is to stop ordering from the company. Since Amazon relies on the consumer, the best way to combat it is to take away the consumer. Supporting local businesses is always a great option anyway.

Sign this petition: Sign this petition to push for unionization, make Amazon take responsibility, and create a better environment for workers.