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2019.11.29 04:18 GMT+8

Amazon employees walk out on Black Friday

Updated 2019.11.30 03:10 GMT+8
CGTN

German Amazon workers have had enough and are walking out. 

Workers at six distribution centers are protesting Amazon's pay and working conditions.

They accuse the company of withholding basic workers' rights and have chosen Black Friday as the day to strike. It's one of Amazon's busiest days of the year. 

The strike will continue on Saturday and Monday. 

Some people in France are also protesting Amazon by blocking truck access to facilities in Paris. They want the company to "stop overproduction."

These protests come at the start of the Holiday shopping season, which is a busy time of year for retailers.

Amazon upped the stakes in April by moving Prime members from two to one-day delivery.

Almost half of all online sales this season are expected to go through Amazon, according to Bain & Co, a consulting firm.

However, it is Amazon employees that are taking the brunt of this new initiative.

Amazon is facing criticism over its delivery practices. With high quotas and delivery demands to meet, workers often face unsafe work environments.

Investigations by ProPublica and Buzzfeed found that drivers have been involved in more than 60 crashes causing injuries or death.

The New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health surveyed warehouse employees in Staten Island. 66% of 145 employees surveyed said they experience physical pain while working. While 42% said they still experience pain even when they aren’t working.

The Committee is worried about Amazon’s ‘speed obsessed culture’.  Even more so, now that employees have one-day shipping demands.

They asked employees to map where they feel pain.

Amazon countered the study, saying it is “unreliable” and a small amount of people were surveyed.

Last year, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health listed Amazon as one of the most dangerous places to work in the U.S.

Athena, a group of grassroots organizations, is promoting an anti-amazon movement. Their goal is to “prevent worker abuse and shield their communities from Amazon’s detrimental effects.”

48% of the U.S. population has an Amazon Prime account, according to Digital Trends. As of 2018, the U.S. has 327.2 million people.

That means, 157,056,000 people have Amazon Prime.

The New York Times also says the company is expected to make $238 billion in sales this year.

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