Amazon Prime Day 2019 strike planned as shoppers await best deals of huge sales event
'We provide great employment opportunities with excellent pay,' the online retail giant claims
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Your support makes all the difference.Amazon warehouse workers in the US are planning to go on strike during the retail giant’s biggest sales event of the year.
Employees in Amazon’s Shakopee warehouse in Minnesota will walk out during Prime Day on 15 July in protest against perceived unsafe working conditions.
Awood Center, a workers’ rights advocacy group, is leading the protest and is demanding reduced quotas and for more temporary workers to be granted full-time positions.
Around 100 workers will strike across two shifts in an attempt to disrupt Amazon during one of its busiest shopping periods, with customers expected to flood the site in search of the best deals.
With more than 100 Amazon warehouses around the country, it is unclear how big an impact the Minnesota strike will have on Amazon’s operations or whether any deliveries will be delayed.
Amazon claims that 90 per cent of the workers at the Shakopee warehouse are employed full-time, with over 100 temporary workers converting to full-time positions this year.
The technology giant also claims that productivity metrics have not changed since November 2018.
“The fact is Amazon offers already what this outside organisation is asking for,” an Amazon spokesperson told The Independent.
“We provide great employment opportunities with excellent pay ranging from $16.25-$20.80 an hour, and comprehensive benefits including healthcare, up to 20 weeks parental leave, paid education, promotional opportunities, and more.”
The spokesperson added that Amazon “encourages anyone to compare our pay, benefits, and workplace to other retailers and major employers in the Shakopee community and across the country.”
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