Christian Smalls at the Amazon building during the outbreak of Covid-19, in Staten Island, New York City, United States, March 30. — Reuters
Amazon.com Inc has played an important role in bringing groceries and other supplies to people’s doorsteps during the global pandemic. But it’s not just battling Covid-19 and the myriad logistical complexities the virus has introduced. As last week’s developments made clear, Amazon also appears to see itself as fighting a war on its other flank – against organised labour.
While other retailers closed up shop and laid off employees at the start of the crisis, Amazon said it was opening 100,000 new positions and continuing to operate its network of hundreds of warehouses and delivery centres. The company said it put in place enhanced safety measures, promoting social distancing and suspending security checks that can create lines of people outside facilities. But workers said the company should be doing more – like furnishing them with personal protective medical gear – and organised protests in Chicago, Detroit, Sacramento and Staten Island. The demonstrations were small but widely covered in the news.
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