Amazon faces biggest union push in its history

Tray Ragland, left, and Kim Hickerson of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union hold signs outside an Amazon facility where labour is trying to organise workers on Feb 9, 2021. For Amazon, a successful effort could motivate other workers to organise. But a contract could take years, and Amazon has a history of crushing labour organising. — AP

NEW YORK: The second Jennifer Bates walks away from her post at the Amazon warehouse where she works, the clock starts ticking.

She has precisely 30 minutes to get to the cafeteria and back for her lunch break. That means traversing a warehouse the size of 14 football fields, which eats up precious time. She avoids bringing food from home because warming it up in the microwave would cost her even more minutes. Instead she opts for US$4 (RM17) cold sandwiches from the vending machine and hurries back to her post.