Techmeme Ride Home Tues. 11/26 - Amazon Prime Cuts
Nov 26, 2019
Recent labor disputes at Google highlight the dangers of corporate organizing, while Amazon faces scrutiny over alarming injury rates in its warehouses. Grassroots activists are banding together to challenge Amazon's influence, amidst rising public costs linked to its operations in Southern California. Privacy concerns arise as the DMV sells driver data, and Facebook's approach to user engagement is under fire. A TikTok teen gains attention for exposing human rights issues, and Texas Instruments continues its reign over the calculator market.
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Google Fires Activist Employees
- Google fired four employees allegedly for data security violations, but they were involved in labor organizing.
- This action intensifies tensions between Google management and increasingly vocal employees.
Amazon's Fast Shipping Leads to High Injury Rates
- Amazon's relentless pursuit of faster shipping has led to high warehouse injury rates.
- Their injury rate is double the industry average, linked to a fast-paced, robot-integrated environment.
Worker Death and Citation Manipulation
- A worker in Indiana died in a forklift accident due to inadequate safety training.
- A state inspector, allegedly pressured by superiors influenced by Amazon, manipulated the citation.
