Amazon workers plan Prime Day strike despite $15 per hour pledge

Amazon employees at a warehouse in Minnesota are planning a strike during the start of the online retail giant’s annual Prime Day summer sale, despite a company pledge to pay all employees at least $15 an hour. 

Workers at a Shakopee, Minn., fulfillment center plan to stop working for six hours in a walkout protest, Bloomberg reported Monday. 

“Amazon is going to be telling one story about itself, which is they can ship a Kindle to your house in one day, isn’t that wonderful,” William Stolz, one of the Shakopee employees organizing the strike, told Bloomberg. “We want to take the opportunity to talk about what it takes to make that work happen and put pressure on Amazon to protect us and provide safe, reliable jobs.”

Workers at the facility claim the company has failed to meet their demands, including converting more temps to Amazon employees and permanently easing productivity quotas that workers say make jobs unsafe and insecure, Bloomberg reports.{mosads}

Amazon is pushing back on the workers’ allegations. Amazon claims that on average 90 percent of associates at the Shakopee fulfillment center are full-time Amazon employees and said more than 30 have been offered full-time positions this week. 

The company also claims productivity metrics have not changed since November 2018. 

“The fact is Amazon offers already what this outside organization is asking for. We provide great employment opportunities with excellent pay – ranging from $16.25-$20.80 an hour, and comprehensive benefits including health care, up to 20 weeks parental leave, paid education, promotional opportunities, and more,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. 

Bloomberg reports the company’s pledge to pay $15 an hour happened only after attacks and pushes from progressive politicians including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). 

“We encourage anyone to compare our pay, benefits, and workplace to other retailers and major employers in the Shakopee community and across the country – and we invite anyone to see for themselves by taking a tour of the facility,” the Amazon spokesperson said. 

The protesters plan to strike for about three hours at the end of the day shift and about three hours at the start of the night shift, Bloomberg reports. 

The outlet also reports a handful of Amazon’s white-collar engineers plan to fly to Minnesota to join in solidarity.