The Influence of Amazon Fields in the Pandemic

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An agreement between amazon and the federal government to help to transport pandemic supplies early on was cancelled. The company also has these important connections to government that it can take advantage of because of, you know, the influence that it has in the economy. In toronoa, there was a massive outbreak at an amazon facility in brampton where over 650 workers tested positive. It ultimately came to light that the provincial government made an approach to the local health unit to allow amazon to jump the line in terms of accessing vaccines.

Paris Marx is joined by Sara Mojtehedzadeh to discuss the Teamsters’ organizing at Amazon warehouses in Canada and the working conditions that workers face at those facilities.

Sara Mojtehedzadeh is a labour reporter at the Toronto Star and the host of Hustled, a podcast about Foodora workers’ fight for a union. Follow Sara on Twitter at @SaraMojtehedz.

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Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

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In June, the Teamsters voted to put resources behind unionizing Amazon.
The Teamsters Canada applied for a union vote in Edmonton, Alberta, and said it’s organizing at nine warehouses. Amazon is hiring 15,000 workers and raising wages.
During the pandemic, the Canadian government signed a deal with Amazon to deliver PPE. The contract fell apart.
After an Amazon worker died in Indiana, the governor intervened to overturn the citations.
California is regulating productivity quotas at warehouses.
Discussions are picking up about sectoral bargaining in Canada.
Sara wrote about the high injury rates at Amazon’s Canadian warehouses and the temporary closure of its Brampton, Ontario warehouse after a Covid outbreak.
Find out more about Teamsters Canada’s Amazon campaign and the Warehouse Workers Centre.