askthefreedompals:

milkssecondfavoritecookie:

According to USA Today, Forbes, and The Independent (which is a UK paper) the Amazon Strike is mainly focused on Spain. Spanish workers are striking during the 36 hour prime day sales and asking for the rest of Europe to join in.

They are protesting low pay more than anything, but there are much greater concerns that affect the US as well as the UK.

According to the LA Times, EHS Today, Recode, and Business Insider, OSHA has looked into multiple deaths caused by machinery in US Amazon Warehouses. The reports are small and lack much detail, but one thing is clear.

At least 7 people have died in American warehouses since 2013, and that is not okay.

Business Insider states that two workers were crushed by forklifts, one was dragged by a conveyor belt, one was run over by a truck and another by an SUV driver, one was crushed by a pallet loader, and one died of a heart attack.

Accidents that result from machines mean that the current safety measures are simply not enough. An Amazon spokesperson stated, “

We are proud of safety record and thousands of Amazonians work hard every day innovating ways to make it even better”.

But that is not good. The fact that Amazon is proud of a safety record that has let 7 people die mean that we, as a whole, have not done enough. 

The Verge states that workers in the UK skip bathroom breaks so they won’t miss work goals. They are scared of being fired for missing their goals, and a study showed that 55% of the workers developed depression working in the warehouses.

Of course it can’t be known for sure if the demanding job caused this spike in depression, but the connection is pretty concerning.

The Verge also stated, “Workers described the breaks as one 30-minute, unpaid break, and two 15-minute paid breaks, which is a similar structure to what many US state labor laws require regarding break times.”

This means that we Americans are setting an example in a way, and I don’t think it’s an example we want to set.

The centers are described as being as big as 18 football fields, and an Amazon Brochure states that workers may walk as much as 12 miles in one day. One hour of breaks with half that time being unpaid is absurd.

On top of this, according to The Huffington Post, workers are told to call secruity in the event of a medical emergency, and not 911. They are told that security will call Emergency services.

But in an event where one minute can make the difference between life and death, in a warehouse the size of 18 football fields, this means that a man who suffered a fatal heart attack could hypothetically have to wait not only to be found, but for security to make their way across the massive building, call an ambulance, and then wait even longer for the ambulance to arrive and the EMTs to make their way across the building as well.

Only, this isn’t hypothetical, and it’s exactly what happened to a man named Jeff Lockhart Jr., who was found collapsed, at around 2:30, Security arrived at 2:39, and EMTs arrived at 2:49, nearly 20 minutes later. Jeff died. All rules were followed, all required safety measures taken, and a man died.

Would he have died anyway? Perhaps, but the fact is that it took 20 minutes to get him the treatment needed for a heart attack, and that is unacceptable. Even with the worker who found him performing CPR, it is not enough.

We need to let Amazon know that people dying in their warehouses is not okay, that breaks need to be longer and the employees should be allowed to use the bathroom without fear of being fired, and we can do it by joining Spain’s efforts in this Strike.

Alone our voices mean nothing, but together, they mean everything. Do not shop on Amazon from the 16-17.

All sources are here:

Spain’s Strike: x x x

Worker Deaths: x x x x x x

UK Factory Work Conditions: x

Jeff Lockhart’s Story: x

I also invite all of you to e-mail the Amazon CEO directly, and tell him why you won’t be giving him any money this week.

AMAZON CEO E-MAIL: jeff@amazon.com

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Hey, I usually wouldn’t reblog anything from my main blog, but I’m reblogging this here because I think it’s incredibly important! There’s 1,200 of you here, and I think that’s amazing! You’re a much larger audience than my main blog, and I think maybe you guys can help me spread the word!

I’ll delete this after prime day, so don’t worry, it won’t be on the ask blog for too long!