Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Since I've worked for Amazon, I think I have enough input to say that I don't believe the minimum wage should be $25 an hour. I didn't get paid that and didn't feel entitled to that, since I wasn't doing highly skilled work. I think $15 an hour is just fine. Sure, in places like Hawaii and California, it might not go far. But for most of Americans, $15 an hour is fair pay for the types of jobs that many amazon workers do. They also get 401K (for both part time and full time workers) and if full time, health benefits, discounts, etc. This is not a bad or unfair business.
If all businesses were forced to pay workers $25 an hour, that would be a nightmare. Some places would go out of business, others would have massive lay-offs or outsource like crazy. We don't need a $25 an hour minimum wage.
Let me repeat: Adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage should be between $23-25/hour. And no, $15/hour is not "fair pay," by any measure.
All businesses used to pay workers a living wage, cover almost all health insurance costs, as well as retirement plans--and they did just fine. Then, after Reagan opened up China, greed took over and corporate employers started whining about the costs of doing business in America, claiming they were "forced" to offshore and outsource in order to be "competitive." Total horsesh*t. THEY are the ones who started that competition by offshoring, and only out of greed: why pay an American worker a living wage and the opportunity for a secure future, thereby supporting the American society and economy, when you can offshore and exploit impoverished people elsewhere, and also drive down the standard of living in the U.S.? Today, an employer like Amazon or Walmart would not "go out of business" or have "massive lay-offs" or "outsource" because they were "forced" to pay a living wage. In fact, it is grotesque commercial operations like Walmart who killed most commerce (i.e., small business and factory jobs) in American small towns and, as a result, have become obscenely powerful and wealthy precisely as a result of offshoring and outsourcing.
Unless Americans start calling for an enforcement of anti-trust legislation, high taxation on companies who offshore and outsource, and a return to local economies, they can expect a disintegrating standard of living. Germany passed such laws--despite all the corporate groaning and moaning about how it would be a "nightmare"--and over 90% of German manufacturing remained in Germany, with the upshot being that those companies are still in business and doing just fine, and local people are still employed and making a living wage.
There are lots of selling platforms besides Amazon now. Some require you sell locally and some offer a shipping option. I network with a lot of people who put products out there on multiple platforms at the same time and they get good results from them. So you can still do what you did before elsewhere. And I only brought up my FBA business because another person claimed I get nothing from Amazon so why should I care what is going on there.
I do have compassion for people but when they get concessions and keep demanding more and more there is a point where its just ridiculous. It seems like nothing will appease these people.That was my point. I have a relative that just began her teaching career and her starting pay is in the same range as these Amazon workers. And she has a degree with teaching credentials.
I have had a few employees like these workers over the years that you cannot never please. And in the case of these fulfillment workers there will be a point when its more cost effective to automate their job. I am just pointing out the obvious. And like I have said a few times I really believe this is a union power play and they are just using these workers.
And Amazon doesn't want to employ someone with an employment gap. They used to advertise that you had to have been employed in the previous six months to be considered. Selling on Amazon isn't considered employment to them. I demonstrated that I could sort and pack effectively since I did all of that my self for years on their site with 100% positive feedback from my customers, but that wasn't any kind of valid reference for them. All that good feedback didn't mean squat to them or any other potential employer. I was packing and shipping dozens of packages a day at one point both on Amazon and Ebay, but it hasn't helped me to land a job with anyone. No, I am too worthless for that. I started selling on ebay in 1999, and my seller feedback is still 100% positive. Not many sellers on there can say anything like that. I guess from what I hear about them I'd been fired from there for my health problems anyway. When I worked for myself I knew when I was so sick I needed to rest and didn't punish myself for being ill. I knew when I needed to use the bathroom and I didn't jump on myself for it. Amazon does not respect their workers or their sellers and if the strikers call attention to that then that is fine. Having to work in a warehouse in 100+ degree heat the way they are expecting employees to do is dangerous.
I don't think this amazon thread is really about sellers. Sellers don't need to go on a "wage strike" because they aren't paid actual wages by Amazon. This is more about the half a million Amazon employees, many of whom are managers, truck drivers, ware house workers...
How is this thread not about sellers? The OP is a seller. The motivation for his posting the thread is because the employee strikes can impact his business selling on Amazon. This thread is about both sellers and the workers.
And Amazon doesn't want to employ someone with an employment gap. They used to advertise that you had to have been employed in the previous six months to be considered. Selling on Amazon isn't considered employment to them. I demonstrated that I could sort and pack effectively since I did all of that my self for years on their site with 100% positive feedback from my customers, but that wasn't any kind of valid reference for them. All that good feedback didn't mean squat to them or any other potential employer. I was packing and shipping dozens of packages a day at one point both on Amazon and Ebay, but it hasn't helped me to land a job with anyone. No, I am too worthless for that. I started selling on ebay in 1999, and my seller feedback is still 100% positive. Not many sellers on there can say anything like that. I guess from what I hear about them I'd been fired from there for my health problems anyway. When I worked for myself I knew when I was so sick I needed to rest and didn't punish myself for being ill. I knew when I needed to use the bathroom and I didn't jump on myself for it. Amazon does not respect their workers or their sellers and if the strikers call attention to that then that is fine. Having to work in a warehouse in 100+ degree heat the way they are expecting employees to do is dangerous.
Selling independently on Amazon, and shipping your own packages, is not the same thing as working in a warehouse. Not even close.
Of course selling on Amazon isn't considered employment. Why would it be? Selling on Craigslist or Ebay isn't employment either. I've sold stuff on amazon too but I don't put that on my resume. It's not a job.
How is this thread not about sellers? The OP is a seller. The motivation for his posting the thread is because the employee strikes can impact his business selling on Amazon. This thread is about both sellers and the workers.
Amazon has two methods to sell products via their site for outside vendors. First is FBA "fulfillment by amazon" this is where one sends in products to the amazon warehouse and they provide the customer service and shipping.
Second is FBM "fulfillment by merchant" this is where a seller keeps inventory at their location and packs and ships themselves.
If a strike was prolonged a FBA seller could recall all their inventory and list as a FBM seller. That will never happen though since this strike is only supposed to last 6 hours.
IF the workers wanted to get real change they would have to strike for weeks or even months.
I used to sell on Amazon years ago. I got put out of that business because Amazon changed a policy and started requiring the merchandise to be obtained a certain way that costs a significant amount of money that I could never obtain. I was a smaller level seller. I used to obtain merchandise in ways that were different and I'd put them on Amazon and double or triple my money at the least. It was how I stayed afloat since I couldn't work a job. I totally understand the OP's ire, but people like the OP didn't have any compassion for me when I was forced out of business and put in even worse situation. Nope, no compassion for the smaller sellers from anyone at all. Instead, when I expressed how devastating it was going to be for me I was taunted by the larger sellers online while they went on about how if you didn't have the money to comply then you deserved to be out of business and Amazon booted me and others like me from their message boards so that it would no longer be shown how their decision was impacting people like me. There were probably a lot of us. So, I understand the OP but I don't feel any compassion. I figure it's karma unfolding. The strike will end though and he'll recover but people like me were never able to get back what we lost.
I think a lot of people see one side of the story and run with it. There are always two sides, however. I get that the OP was ranting and upset, and I understand why. I also understand why they feel the need to strike. And I support both the strike, and the rants or consequences that may come from it.
If I was amazon, if they do strike, I would announce the closure of the center about 5 minutes later. No severance packages offered to anyone not clocked in and working at the time of the announcement. Let these ingrates go work at the casino.
Yes, there are other selling platforms that do not get the foot traffic that Amazon did. I moved to those and never could even sell a fourth of what I sold on Amazon. The supply sources I used to have dried up anyway over the years, so I had trouble keeping it going. Finally, I just accepted that I didn't have the money to keep it going, but had I kept selling during those years until the supply dried up I would've been a lot better off. I had perfect seller feedback and never once ripped off a customer. I had done nothing wrong to be put out of business the way I was at the time. Amazon had absolutely no respect for my ability to please my customers on their site and threw me off like I was trash. There had never been one complaint made against me in all the years I sold on there. That should have showed I was a good seller, but they didn't care. I was kicked off the same as a seller who had ripped people off. I was considered in the same category to them as someone like that.
I hear the same thing about the other selling platforms. If they decide to boot you that is what happens. It is their selling platform and there is little you can do. That is why diversifying helps. Sorry to hear that happened to you.
Selling independently on Amazon, and shipping your own packages, is not the same thing as working in a warehouse. Not even close.
Of course selling on Amazon isn't considered employment. Why would it be? Selling on Craigslist or Ebay isn't employment either. I've sold stuff on amazon too but I don't put that on my resume. It's not a job.
It would only help on a resume if you are looking to work for someone else who sells online and needs someone to ship their stuff out. Otherwise its a negative. Previously self employed people usually make lousy employees. At least that is my experience.
Of course, not at all hard to believe. The medical and legal fields will change greatly also. Even journalism. I try to read every story I can on AI to keep up with the rapid changes upon us. Its all amazing and scary at the same time.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
