Amazon Workers Want To Be Paid For Waiting In Line

Here's a notion: you are an EMPLOYEE. You do what your employer says so you can keep your job. Don't like it? Then quit and go work somewhere else.

How about this: as an employer, go find a homeless guy on the street. Tell him you have a job for him but the only catch is, he has to clock out at the end of his shift each day and wait in a security line that may take up to 30 minutes. He'll still ask you how soon he can start.

It's an epidemic these days where peons at a company think they deserve executive-level pay.

Yup!

When I worked in fast food I had to spend my time at home washing my uniform using my water, electric and time. The company forced me to do this, but I did it because I wasn't raised as such an entitled snob as kids are now. Wait till they taste salary, free time is always a dream then lol.
 
It's an epidemic these days where peons at a company think they deserve executive-level pay.

What's epidemic is employers thinking they can treat people anyway they want and get away with it. Your ancestors fought for rights and entitlements because they actually experienced the kind of life you advocate first hand and didn't much like it. I wonder why?
 
What's epidemic is employers thinking they can treat people anyway they want and get away with it. Your ancestors fought for rights and entitlements because they actually experienced the kind of life you advocate first hand and didn't much like it. I wonder why?

to the point that people died in those struggles
 
Oh right, I forgot how waiting in line, off the clock for 30 minutes in an Amazon warehouse is exactly like working 12 hours a day for 5 cents a day during the industrial revolution. Shame on me.
 
Employees aren't paid straight-up for their time. Just becuase they aren't at home, doesn't mean they are on the clock. They are paid to work and produce a product or service for the company. Waiting in a security line has nothing to do with producing said product or service, therefore, the company doesn't have to pay.
Bullshit, that is exactly what employees are paid for, their time. Do you think you can have taco bell employees only paid when they are making tacos, and if there is a lull where a customer doesn't show up for 15 mins you dock their pay?

This is such common sense, it pains me that there are people that think an employer can keep an employee at the office without pay.

What if the check were five hours instead of thirty minutes. Could your employer keep you at work for five hours and not pay you for your time? It doesnt' change the principle of the matter when you reduce the amount of time you are keeping employees at the office off the clock.

And yes, there are also people that would be willing to work under unnecessarily hazardous working conditions for the right amount of pay, but that doesn't mean its something that we should tolerate at a workplace in 2014. And this is coming from an anti-union Libertarian... some things are just too common sense to argue about.
 
Yup!

When I worked in fast food I had to spend my time at home washing my uniform using my water, electric and time. The company forced me to do this, but I did it because I wasn't raised as such an entitled snob as kids are now. Wait till they taste salary, free time is always a dream then lol.
Retarded comparison. People also have to commute to the office, of varying distances depending on where they choose to live, and regardless of whether or not you are provided a uniform, you'd be required to wear clothes and not smell like a pile of rotten ass in the office meaning you'd take baths and wash your clothes too.

The only difference is that you are getting FREE clothes instead of having to pay for your clothes and pay to wash them too.

A more gray area would be if an employer required a uniform for the job, but then also required the employees to pay for the uniform as well, especially if the uniform is overpriced. But to wash free clothes given to you? Please... this is not the same thing.
 
Bullshit, that is exactly what employees are paid for, their time. Do you think you can have taco bell employees only paid when they are making tacos, and if there is a lull where a customer doesn't show up for 15 mins you dock their pay?

And you really think Taco Bell employees do absolutely nothing but make tacos when a customer comes in? LOL!

It's called, when there are no customers to help, there is always something else to do. Clean the counters, restock supplies, clean the restrooms, do some training, etc, etc, etc. No employer lets their employees just stand around doing absolutely nothing while on the clock. Welcome to reality.
 
Oh right, I forgot how waiting in line, off the clock for 30 minutes in an Amazon warehouse is exactly like working 12 hours a day for 5 cents a day during the industrial revolution. Shame on me.

So you're telling us that when you go to work, you are producing for 8 hours? That there is not one minute where you take your eyes off what you're doing? Not one minute where you take your mind off what you're doing and think of some other thoughts? Not one minute where you talk to someone about non work related topics?
 
30min a day @ $30 an hour = $4000

I'm very surprised so many people are willing to walk away from $4000 like that? Must have more money than me.

WTF i make 9.50 and thats for skilled work
fucking bull shit they do not need to making that much
 
Bullshit, that is exactly what employees are paid for, their time.

DING DING DING!

Every second of my time costs money. My employer knows that. I don't lift a finger without being compensated one way or another. That's the relationship we have. If my employer wants another one where I give them a little and then take a little that can be arranged but even in that scenario I'd better be able to take my little when it comes time.
 
So you're telling us that when you go to work, you are producing for 8 hours? That there is not one minute where you take your eyes off what you're doing? Not one minute where you take your mind off what you're doing and think of some other thoughts? Not one minute where you talk to someone about non work related topics?

This argument has no weight as it applies to the Amazon employees as well. Are you saying these Amazon employees are continually packing boxes for 8 hours a day? Not once do they go take a piss or lean over to the guy next to them and ask if they saw the game last night?
 
WTF i make 9.50 and thats for skilled work
fucking bull shit they do not need to making that much

I hear you, but I wonder where you live geographically.

I was pretty surprised to see how cheap it is to live in some areas of the interior.
 
i worked for 3 months at one of amazon's warehouse during the holidays. Yes its crazy how much time ti takes for the place. During the holidays, they ramp up heavily and basically my schedule went like this. i did 4 10 hour shifts. 7:30 am to 6pm as a packer. Due to lots of things, traffic into and out of the job site, walk across the huge parking lot, securtity checks ( which can take up to 30 minutes), walk across the huge building. it can take easily an hour or more before and after clocking in and out. It is definitly one of the worst places ive worked.

They do stagger some of the shifts/jobs but at the same time cant too much. Because the place works a bit like an assebly line. one departments feeds the next and if one isnt keeping pace with another department, it can quickly overwhelm and shutdown the plant. one of the things they can definetly do is allow some of the managers/team leads to be trained for security to help during thiis 1/2 to 1 hour rushes to get these people out faster.
 
Here's a notion: you are an EMPLOYEE. You do what your employer says so you can keep your job. Don't like it? Then quit and go work somewhere else.

How about this: as an employer, go find a homeless guy on the street. Tell him you have a job for him but the only catch is, he has to clock out at the end of his shift each day and wait in a security line that may take up to 30 minutes. He'll still ask you how soon he can start.

It's an epidemic these days where peons at a company think they deserve executive-level pay.

Bullshit.
Its an epidemic where there is such a glut of excess workers begging for jobs companies feel they have the right to take advantage of said workers.
The ISP call center I worked for made us show up a half hour early and stay a half hour late and DIDN'T give us our lunch breaks. Guess what? The employees filed a class action lawsuit on their asses and a federal judge sided with the employees. We all got paid our back wages (well, what was left after the lawyers bled us dry) and the company had to hire more people (to avoid paying overtime) plus we got our lunches and breaks.....
 
Bullshit.
Its an epidemic where there is such a glut of excess workers begging for jobs companies feel they have the right to take advantage of said workers.
The ISP call center I worked for made us show up a half hour early and stay a half hour late and DIDN'T give us our lunch breaks. Guess what? The employees filed a class action lawsuit on their asses and a federal judge sided with the employees. We all got paid our back wages (well, what was left after the lawyers bled us dry) and the company had to hire more people (to avoid paying overtime) plus we got our lunches and breaks.....

Being forced to work a full hour each day and not get paid for it and being denied lunch breaks is abuse. Being told to go through a security check point that takes a few minutes after your shift is over is not. Compare apples to apples.
 
Amazon can pay them while they wait in line. They don't wanna pay, figure out how to make the line faster. Put the timeclock on the other side of the checkpoint.

..It's an epidemic these days where peons at a company think they deserve executive-level pay.

It's also an Epidempic in America where the Exec's make 475x or more the pay of their average employee.. it's a bit over the top and they are somewhat disconnected from their employees. See (any other country) the average exec pay is about 30x
politifact%2Fphotos%2FCEO_pay_chart.jpg


They can afford to pay them while they stand in line. I'm not saying employee's stealing is right, but if they were better compensated the theft might be less of an issue.
 
Being forced to work a full hour each day and not get paid for it and being denied lunch breaks is abuse. Being told to go through a security check point that takes a few minutes after your shift is over is not. Compare apples to apples.

Umm telling employees they MUST go through a security checkpoint is being forced to work. Do you really believe the shit you are spewing or just a wannabe troll?
 
No, it's not pure, 100% simple logic. If the company paid hourly people to wait in line, then those people would all wonder around and try to be the last in line so they could get paid more without having to do anything. Then all the people that were some of the first through security would bitch since they weren't getting paid as much as those who were at the end of the line. It's the same reason hourly people don't get paid during lunch. If they did, there were be no incentive to come back from lunch and get back to production. See how that works?

My job is to be at the clock at the time my shift starts, but if I have to do something that isn't in my interest but is the company's, AND is required for the job, Id better get paid for that.

See? Screening isn't part of the job, but is something REQUIRED by the company, and since its something that can ONLY take place directly prior to enter and leave the premises, there is no way you could do it elsewhere.

Would you say that an astronaut should start his shift AFTER he has the spacial suit on? Yeah, lets have one in their house so he can change before he clocks in. Lets do the same with a firefighter, lets have him wear the whole work suit (gasmask, bottle and everything) prior to him starting his shift...

Some peoples logic simply boggles me :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::confused::confused::confused:

PD: and, btw, lets also make those queues even longer. Heck, the less people working at the security post, the less money it costs, right? Who cares if they have to camp around the office because it takes like 8 hours to get through security checks? Oh yea...

Here's a notion: you are an EMPLOYEE. You do what your employer says so you can keep your job. Don't like it? Then quit and go work somewhere else.

How about this: as an employer, go find a homeless guy on the street. Tell him you have a job for him but the only catch is, he has to clock out at the end of his shift each day and wait in a security line that may take up to 30 minutes. He'll still ask you how soon he can start.

It's an epidemic these days where peons at a company think they deserve executive-level pay.

Ill fix it for you:

Here's a notion: you are a SLAVE. . You do what your MASTER says so you can keep your job. Don't like it? Then quit and go work somewhere else.

It's an epidemic these days where peons at a company think they deserve executive-level pay

Yeah, lets not pay them at all. Since they are peons and all, right? Oh and, btw, lets make them wait... endlessly. I'm sure somebody will accept the job, right?

Fuck our rights, yes sir!

PS: your ideas really worry me.


Yup!

When I worked in fast food I had to spend my time at home washing my uniform using my water, electric and time. The company forced me to do this, but I did it because I wasn't raised as such an entitled snob as kids are now. Wait till they taste salary, free time is always a dream then lol.

It doesn't matter. If you work with your own clothes... guess who cleans them? Don't you clean your own clothes?

You can't compare them either. I'm sure the astronauts aren't asked to clean or maintain their suits, and neither do the firefighters. Since its a specific part of their jobs (and lives), they do it at the workplace, on work-time.

Oh right, I forgot how waiting in line, off the clock for 30 minutes in an Amazon warehouse is exactly like working 12 hours a day for 5 cents a day during the industrial revolution. Shame on me.

You are working for free so, in a way, it is.
 
Being forced to work a full hour each day and not get paid for it and being denied lunch breaks is abuse. Being told to go through a security check point that takes a few minutes after your shift is over is not. Compare apples to apples.

It is apples to apples because ANY abuse can be performed because the employees know they're extremely expendable, so all too often they let companies walk all over them.
Employees only have the rights they're willing to stand up and fight for.
 
Easy. Put the time clock on the outside of the security check point. Have employees punch out after they are through the check point. Problem solved.

If Amazon thinks the lines are too long, add more check points.

This isn't exactly rocket science.
 
If an employer is forcing employees to stay at the workplace for any amount of time, for any reason, the employer should be forced to compensate the employees for that time. Period. Five minutes, half an hour, an hour and a half..... that's completely irrelevant.
 
And you really think Taco Bell employees do absolutely nothing but make tacos when a customer comes in? LOL!

It's called, when there are no customers to help, there is always something else to do. Clean the counters, restock supplies, clean the restrooms, do some training, etc, etc, etc. No employer lets their employees just stand around doing absolutely nothing while on the clock. Welcome to reality.

You'll go far in corporate America, you have a good "fuck em" attitude towards people.
 
Here's a notion: you are an EMPLOYEE. You do what your employer says so you can keep your job. Don't like it? Then quit and go work somewhere else.

Yeah, the law says you are 100% wrong about this. We are not talking about salaried employees here. An employer is REQUIRED by law to pay you for every second that you are not free to go about your business. If Amazon refuses to pay employees for the time they have to wait in line at security, then legally those employees can walk right past security and not wait. Employers absolutely cannot force you to do shit after you clock out.

How about this: as an employer, go find a homeless guy on the street. Tell him you have a job for him but the only catch is, he has to clock out at the end of his shift each day and wait in a security line that may take up to 30 minutes. He'll still ask you how soon he can start.

Bullshit. Generally homeless people are that way for a reason. They are usually not all that interested in working or do not have useful skills. I know, I've tried hiring some homeless people before to do some basic labor. Even paying them above minimum wage, they were not interested in working. They would much rather make $2 an hour in handouts than actually work and make $10 an hour. Yes there are exceptions, but the ones that are truly wanting to work and just fell on hard times will go out and actively seek work or some sort of help to get them out of their situation.

It's an epidemic these days where peons at a company think they deserve executive-level pay.

It's a bigger epidemic that executives think they are worth what they make. Back in the 80's the average CEO made about 30 times more than the average worker. Now? It's over 300 times more than the average worker, a 10x increase. Are CEO's 10 times more valuable to the company than they were 30 years ago? Hell no they aren't. In many cases the higher a CEO's pay is, the worse the company performs. If I were making $10mil a year I wouldn't give 2 shits about long term growth or stability of the company. Why should I when I would be making significantly more money in 1 year than most people make in their entire lifetimes? I could do a half ass job for 1 year and walk away loaded. It happens all the time.
 
Employees aren't paid straight-up for their time. Just becuase they aren't at home, doesn't mean they are on the clock. They are paid to work and produce a product or service for the company. Waiting in a security line has nothing to do with producing said product or service, therefore, the company doesn't have to pay.

Ok. Then they don't have to wait in line
 
I want to know, is this something agreed upon before employment? If it is, then the employees should stfu and get back to work, otherwise yes I would say companies should have to pay for time that is controlled by the employer.
employees can't "agree" to violate labor laws.

Employees sometimes do engage in employment (and wages) "under the table" but that's not a legal agreement. Similarly, Amazon employees can't simply agree to work "off the clock" in any legally binding agreement. If Amazon was relying on employees agreeing to violate labor laws then Amazon exposes itself to the risks--not the employees.
 
I work at a Amazon fulfillment center in Southern Indiana, going on 2 years in November and have NEVER stood in line more than a couple minutes even during peak time when there are 2000 extra people there.
 
It's also an Epidempic in America where the Exec's make 475x or more the pay of their average employee.. it's a bit over the top and they are somewhat disconnected from their employees. See (any other country) the average exec pay is about 30x

They can afford to pay them while they stand in line. I'm not saying employee's stealing is right, but if they were better compensated the theft might be less of an issue.

Executive pay is definitely a big enough topic for its own thread.

Having said that, if you were an executive making several hundred thousands a year, if not millions, I'm sue your view would be different.

Also, do me a favor. If you ever become a big executive and your employees want more pay, be sure to supply their increased wages directly from your own pay. Don't increase the price of your products and don't increase their pay rate while reducing their hours. Only decrease your pay. You'll have no problems with that, right? It's all so simple. :rolleyes:
 
Umm telling employees they MUST go through a security checkpoint is being forced to work. Do you really believe the shit you are spewing or just a wannabe troll?

So standing in a line doing nothing is actually work? Are there any PhD programs in this country that teach you how to be the best loiterer? Once again, I am in the wrong profession. I actually have to do stuff to get my pay check. I sure hope the Amazon employees win this law suit. I can't wait to quit my job and go work at the utopian company that is Amazon. Such a great business model: employees do nothing, they get paid, Amazon makes wicked profits. Genius!!!
 
So standing in a line doing nothing is actually work? Are there any PhD programs in this country that teach you how to be the best loiterer? Once again, I am in the wrong profession. I actually have to do stuff to get my pay check. I sure hope the Amazon employees win this law suit. I can't wait to quit my job and go work at the utopian company that is Amazon. Such a great business model: employees do nothing, they get paid, Amazon makes wicked profits. Genius!!!

Your job is what your company tells you to do. I don't know why you're having such a hard time understanding this. Amazon makes them stand in the line, so they have to pay them for their time.
 
At my old job at a retailer they "required" us to put our coats away in the break room closet during the winter hours before we could punch in. I worked in the receiving area so I was exempt, since the place was too cheap to give us a working heater until someone put it down on their voluntary quit notification that we had no heater for the winter but were expected to work in freezing temperatures, and were on our own for keeping warm.

But I remember one co-worker getting into an argument about it. The time clock is in the front of the store and it's the only location to punch in or out. The break room was on another side of the building. He went to punch in and a manager told him he needed to put his coat away before he could punch in. He swiped his badge and said "I'm in uniform and I'm in the store. I'm required to assist customers as long as I meet those two requirements by policy, which also says I am not to do any work unless I'm on the clock. I'm not helping anyone until I punch in first." and not even a second after he punched in, a customer walked up to him asking for help.

And honestly, he was right. Company policy also dictated that you do absolutely -zero- work for the company unless you are being paid to do so. That means not even helping customers if you are off the clock. You couldn't even point them out to another associate for help as that was considered assisting the customer, and thus work.

So if you were on your way to the break room to put your coat a way and a customer knew you worked there, you weren't allowed to help them until you punched in.
 
My job is to be at the clock at the time my shift starts, but if I have to do something that isn't in my interest but is the company's, AND is required for the job, Id better get paid for that.

See? Screening isn't part of the job, but is something REQUIRED by the company, and since its something that can ONLY take place directly prior to enter and leave the premises, there is no way you could do it elsewhere.

Would you say that an astronaut should start his shift AFTER he has the spacial suit on? Yeah, lets have one in their house so he can change before he clocks in. Lets do the same with a firefighter, lets have him wear the whole work suit (gasmask, bottle and everything) prior to him starting his shift...

Some peoples logic simply boggles me :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::confused::confused::confused:

Your examples are silly. An astronaut and a firefighter need their suit/gear to actually do their job. A box packer doesn't need to stand in line at a security check point to do his/her job. It's simply one more step for them getting to or from their job but standing in that line does not actually impact how many boxes they pack that day - especially if it's done at the end of their shift.

If people don't like waiting in line at a security check point, then assholes need to stop stealing stuff. Blame the criminals not the company that was nice enough to give you a job so they could be stolen from. Why does the company have to pay for some low-life criminal's actions?


Ill fix it for you:

Here's a notion: you are a SLAVE. . You do what your MASTER says so you can keep your job. Don't like it? Then quit and go work somewhere else.

It's an epidemic these days where peons at a company think they deserve executive-level pay

Yeah, lets not pay them at all. Since they are peons and all, right? Oh and, btw, lets make them wait... endlessly. I'm sure somebody will accept the job, right?

Fuck our rights, yes sir!

PS: your ideas really worry me.

LOL, 30 minutes is not endlessly. And slavery? Taking my argument and twisting it into an extreme example is not an argument on your part. Your disconnect with reality worries me.
 
The warehouse employee NEEDS the security check to do their job too. I don't see your point
 
You'll go far in corporate America, you have a good "fuck em" attitude towards people.

LOL!!!

That's why it's called WORK. You show up, you work, you get paid. It's not: you show up, do nothing and get paid. Expecting an employee on my payroll to actually do stuff and not stand around is not a "fuck 'em" attitude. But you go ahead and start up a business that promises customers a product or service, then hire some employees that you pay but they do absolutely nothing. Get back to me in a just a few weeks after your business tanks. :rolleyes:
 
Your examples are silly. An astronaut and a firefighter need their suit/gear to actually do their job. A box packer doesn't need to stand in line at a security check point to do his/her job. It's simply one more step for them getting to or from their job but standing in that line does not actually impact how many boxes they pack that day - especially if it's done at the end of their shift.

If people don't like waiting in line at a security check point, then assholes need to stop stealing stuff. Blame the criminals not the company that was nice enough to give you a job so they could be stolen from. Why does the company have to pay for some low-life criminal's actions?

What's it feel like to be wrong all the time? It makes absolutely no damn difference what the employee is actually doing during their time at work. If the employer instructs the employee to go stand in a corner for 30 minutes and they are not free to leave, then they get paid, BY LAW, for those 30 minutes. I don't understand why you are having such a hard time understanding this. It doesn't matter if the employee is actively being productive. Every single minute that they are not allowed to walk directly to their car and leave must be paid for. Travel to and from work is the only part that isn't included because you aren't required to go directly home from work, so you don't get paid for it. You could walk next door and have a beer if you choose to. But forcing employees through a checkpoint that is NOT OPTIONAL means you get paid. Quit arguing otherwise. You are wrong and the law says you are wrong.
 
What's it feel like to be wrong all the time? It makes absolutely no damn difference what the employee is actually doing during their time at work. If the employer instructs the employee to go stand in a corner for 30 minutes and they are not free to leave, then they get paid, BY LAW, for those 30 minutes. I don't understand why you are having such a hard time understanding this. It doesn't matter if the employee is actively being productive. Every single minute that they are not allowed to walk directly to their car and leave must be paid for. Travel to and from work is the only part that isn't included because you aren't required to go directly home from work, so you don't get paid for it. You could walk next door and have a beer if you choose to. But forcing employees through a checkpoint that is NOT OPTIONAL means you get paid. Quit arguing otherwise. You are wrong and the law says you are wrong.

Please show me this law that specifically says an employee must be paid for every second spent on company property as opposed to an employee must be paid for every second while "on the clock." Then please accurately define what it means to be "on the clock."
 
So standing in a line doing nothing is actually work? Are there any PhD programs in this country that teach you how to be the best loiterer? Once again, I am in the wrong profession. I actually have to do stuff to get my pay check. I sure hope the Amazon employees win this law suit. I can't wait to quit my job and go work at the utopian company that is Amazon. Such a great business model: employees do nothing, they get paid, Amazon makes wicked profits. Genius!!!

You have to do what your company tells you to do to get your check. If they tell you to stand in a line well they have to pay for it, it is still considered work.
 
Back
Top