Amazon Contractor Agrees To Pay Drivers $100K In Phantom Lunch Breaks

[HardOCP News]

How bad would it suck to have to work through your lunch hour every day, without being paid....while you deliver FOOD. Damn, that's just brutal. No word on whether Amazon has cut ties with this company after this incident.

What if your employer deducted lunch breaks from your time sheet, but you weren’t allowed to actually take any time for lunch? That’s what New York’s attorney general says happened to employees of Cornucopia Logistics, a contractor that handles deliveries for Amazon and for its grocery delivery service in New York City. The company has settled with the state, and will pay affected workers and former workers $100,000 in back wages for the practice.

 

[Gweenz]

Uh, you must have never worked in the restaurant industry. It's very common for waiters and other service industry workers to not get breaks but get clocked out for them anyway.

 

[Twisted Kidney]

I make my people take breaks, and at least a half hour for lunch. The positive effect it has on productivity and safety far outweighs any idiotic "wurknhard" bullshit tradition.

Uh, you must have never worked in the restaurant industry. It's very common for waiters and other service industry workers to not get breaks but get clocked out for them anyway.

Those aren't real jobs though, those are starter jobs where you shouldn't even get paid. Let alone get paid the actual work you do. /s

 

[westrock2000]

Uh, you must have never worked in the restaurant industry. It's very common for waiters and other service industry workers to not get breaks but get clocked out for them anyway.

That's not how the contract is supposed to work. That is theft. They knowingly received a product (your work) without paying for it (wages).

 

[westrock2000]

I make my people take breaks, and at least a half hour for lunch. The positive effect it has on productivity and safety far outweighs any idiotic "wurknhard" bullshit tradition.


Those aren't real jobs though, those are starter jobs where you shouldn't even get paid. Let alone get paid the actual work you do. /s

Some of those service industry people make more money that those making the world work behind the scenes. Like hair stylists.....some make great money. Meanwhile dudes making websites work making like $40K a year, with a college degree no less.

 

[Beaflag VonRathburg]

Those aren't real jobs though, those are starter jobs where you shouldn't even get paid. Let alone get paid the actual work you do.

I honestly don't know if this is a troll response or not, but it has to be one of the least intelligent things I've read on here. According to the Bereau of Labor, roughly 9.8% of US citizens work in the service industry under, "Leisure and Hospitality". Do you think those people are just waiting to get, "Real jobs"?

Employment by major industry sector

 

[Beaflag VonRathburg]

Some of those service industry people make more money that those making the world work behind the scenes. Like hair stylists.....some make great money. Meanwhile dudes making websites work making like $40K a year, with a college degree no less.

Bartenders... The last resort I worked at they were making $8 / hour, automatic 20% gratuity on anything they served (food and drink), were tipped out by servers, and would walk with cash tips as well. They were clearing $55-60k in a city with a median income of $25,433.00 .

PS: From the article, "AG Eric Schneiderman, who has heard all of your Spider-Man jokes before" certainly made me laugh.

 

[westrock2000]

Bartenders... The last resort I worked at they were making $8 / hour, automatic 20% gratuity on anything they served (food and drink), were tipped out by servers, and would walk with cash tips as well. They were clearing $55-60k in a city with a median income of $25,433.00 .

PS: From the article, "AG Eric Schneiderman, who has heard all of your Spider-Man jokes before" certainly made me laugh.

And was that income "under the radar" so to speak?

 

[Beaflag VonRathburg]

And was that income "under the radar" so to speak?

No. Since the gratuity was automatic (showed up on customers bill) it would get tallied at the end of the night and show up on your check at the end of the pay period. Anything someone handed you as an extra cash tip though was yours. You'd be stupid to claim cash tips as taxable income even though you're supposed to. My pay at that resort worked the same way, but the numbers were different. I made $6.75 per hour and 22% automatic gratuity, but the bartenders did a much higher volume of work and make significantly more. I worked from home for years after this, but my next, "Real job" Twisted Kidney mentioned above as a QA analyst for a software company I made less money than I did working at the resort five years earlier.

 

[Twisted Kidney]

Some of those service industry people make more money that those making the world work behind the scenes. Like hair stylists.....some make great money. Meanwhile dudes making websites work making like $40K a year, with a college degree no less.

I honestly don't know if this is a troll response or not, but it has to be one of the least intelligent things I've read on here. According to the Bereau of Labor, roughly 9.8% of US citizens work in the service industry under, "Leisure and Hospitality". Do you think those people are just waiting to get, "Real jobs"?

Employment by major industry sector

Damnit I put a /s on there and everything. I just changed the colour because I didn't want it to be too obvious.

 

[haste]

screw a break. i am forced to take 30 minutes for lunch at work and i don't like it. i don't want to be at work any longer than i have to. give me a 7 1/2 hour day with no lunch and i would be golden.

i also guarantee i'd be more productive than 95% of the other employees...

 

[Gweenz]

That's not how the contract is supposed to work. That is theft. They knowingly received a product (your work) without paying for it (wages).

Absolutely. The recourse for that employee goes something like this: you can bring it up with HR which is usually just a co manager who doesn't give a shit and is going to tell every other manager and you get a bad reputation or get fired for a random reason. You can report it to your local labor authority who is so underfunded that by the time he gets around to investigating you no longer work there. Let say he does show up and actually cares, then it becomes your word against the management or owner and your fellow employees aren't going to have your back because they also don't want a bad reputation or to get fired for a random reason. Or, that employee can quit and the business can find someone who won't complain and on and on it goes.

 

[Biznatch]

screw a break. i am forced to take 30 minutes for lunch at work and i don't like it. i don't want to be at work any longer than i have to. give me a 7 1/2 hour day with no lunch and i would be golden.

i also guarantee i'd be more productive than 95% of the other employees...

Yup, 7-3 here. Just eat at my desk so i can GTFO as soon as possible. Don't see the need to eat and socialize with other employees.... It's work, I'm just here to do my job and get back to the life it's paying for. Not much good can come from mixing work/social life anyway so works better to just keep it completely separate.

 

[Gweenz]

I agree, I'd rather not have any breaks and work straight through, but the law requires them and you can't opt out.

 

[Ragenrok]

I enjoy my lunch breaks, I'm with you about not wanting to socialize with people while I eat or watch some asshole see how much he can jam in his mouth lol. If im in my main shop I have an office I retreat to and I get to play video games or watch TV while I eat, its a very nice break from the day. If im out in the field I just watch youtube in my truck lol

 

[nvgrim]

Those aren't real jobs though, those are starter jobs where you shouldn't even get paid. Let alone get paid the actual work you do. /s

i was going to call you out untill i noticed the ninja /s, you win this time.....

 

[Biznatch]

I agree, I'd rather not have any breaks and work straight through, but the law requires them and you can't opt out.

For hourly yes, but it all changes when you go salary... Same reason I don't get paid extra for working over 40 hours a week.

 

[wizzi01]

For hourly yes, but it all changes when you go salary... Same reason I don't get paid extra for working over 40 hours a week.

Sounds like you don't know how to negotiate your contract very well.