This arrangement might appeal to a nomad, but it is not a good employment opportunity for someone with a family to move. This makes it hard for the worker to move on to something different when the gig is up. The company is unwilling to invest in warehouse workers to advance their skills. These factory towns will be temporary residences for a temporary labor force. Amazon’s corporate culture of high turnover takes care of that. It is known that employees tend to slow down over the years. They want people who can keep up with the fast pace and labor demands. The company wants to keep warehouse workers on their toes. Amazon wants peak performers at the warehouses. Amazon counts on a high turnover at the warehouse. The company is not willing to invest in warehouse workers. There are few if any opportunities for advancement. Nordstrom pays warehouse workers $19.66/hour. Target pays warehouse workers $18.89/hour. The pay rate of $15.00 to $17.00 per hour that Amazon is willing to pay is still not competitive with the pay of some retail companies much smaller in size. You may not be fired by a human being, but an algorithm dedicated to making these determinations based on the data it collects. Too many off task moments can get you written up and fired. The Amazon facilities can provide jobs, but what kind? Many Amazon warehouse workers are on record complaining about the pace of work, the constant oversight, and the constant threat of being off task. It is okay for your employer to tell you how to live because they employ you. It is considered an overreach for the government to get involved in say, a public health issue like a pandemic. People chafe at the bit when the Federal government attempts to provide affordable housing or education. The workers were practically captives of the towns. The towns provided rental housing, schools, places of worship and grocery stores. Many times, these towns existed to exercise maximum control over the company workers. They have been tried with varying degrees of success and failure since the 1800s. I believe this would be applying a 20th century band aid to a serious wound of the 21st century.įactory/company towns are not new to America. He believes it could be the answer to the economic inequalities that the working class is facing. The writer of the opinion piece in Bloomberg News, Conor Sen, “ Amazon's New Factory Towns' Will Lift the Working Class ” is touting the benefits an Amazon factory town could provide.
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