Amazon Admits Some Drivers In US Urinate In Bottles, Apologises

Washington:

E-commerce large Amazon has apologized to a US lawmaker after falsely denying that a few of its drivers are compelled at occasions to urinate in plastic bottles.

The flap began final week with a tweet from Mark Pocan, a Democrat from Wisconsin.

“Paying employees $15/hr does not make you a ‘progressive office’ once you union-bust & make employees urinate in water bottles,” Pocan tweeted, in an obvious reference to Amazon’s opposition to efforts to unionize a significant facility in Alabama.

Amazon’s official account rapidly responded, saying: “You do not actually consider the peeing in bottles factor, do you? If that had been true, no person would work for us.”

However a number of information media then cited quite a few Amazon workers who stated they’d, the truth is, been left with little selection however to make use of plastic bottles.

And the web site The Intercept stated it had obtained inner paperwork exhibiting Amazon executives had been conscious of the apply.

The employees’ testimony underlined the complaints of many Amazon workers — each in its processing amenities and amongst its drivers — about what they are saying is a relentless work tempo.

“We owe an apology to Consultant Pocan,” Amazon stated in a press release late Friday.

“The tweet was incorrect. It didn’t ponder our massive driver inhabitants and as an alternative wrongly targeted solely on our achievement facilities,” every of which, it stated, had dozens of restrooms that workers may use “at any time.”

Amazon continued: “We all know that drivers can and do have bother discovering restrooms due to visitors or typically rural routes, and this has been particularly the case throughout Covid when many public restrooms have been closed.”

It described the issue as “a long-standing, industry-wide subject,” including, “we wish to clear up it.”

The apology didn’t fulfill Pocan, who responded Saturday on Twitter, saying:

“Sigh. This isn’t about me, that is about your employees – who you do not deal with with sufficient respect or dignity.

“Begin by acknowledging the insufficient working situations you have created for ALL your employees, then repair that for everybody & lastly, allow them to unionize with out interference.”

Staff at Amazon’s enormous processing facility in Bessemer, Alabama accomplished a vote Monday on whether or not to unionize — an initiative strongly resisted by the corporate. The consequence has not but been introduced.

Amazon has efficiently fended off unionization efforts elsewhere within the US, although most of its amenities in Europe are unionized.

The corporate insists its employees get pleasure from good pay and advantages by US requirements. 

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