1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: I want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon 2 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:10,719 Speaker 1: customer because you guys paid progress. You guys paid problems. 3 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: This is Megacal, an investigative podcast exposing some of the 4 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: world's most unethical corporations. This series is about Amazon. I'm 5 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: Jake Hanrahan, journalists and documentary filmmaker. Mega Corp is produced 6 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 1: by H eleven for Cool Zone Media. So right now 7 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:47,160 Speaker 1: I'm outside one of the Amazon warehouses in the UK. 8 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: They look pretty similar anywhere you go, really, I just 9 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,279 Speaker 1: kind of wanted to get an idea of the scale 10 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: of one of these places. I mean that absolutely massive, big, 11 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: ugly corrugated metal looking thing. It's got the Amazon with 12 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: its little smile symbol logo on the front. In this area, 13 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: it used to be a kind of woodland and then 14 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 1: they just obviously tarmact it and turned it into an 15 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: industrial estate and built warehouses. Um, it is what it is. 16 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 1: But I just wanted to get an idea of the 17 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: scale of the place, and I sort of wanted to 18 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: start this series here at ground level, if you like. 19 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: Right now here outside of this warehouse where I am, 20 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: there are workers in their working twenty four hours obviously 21 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: different shifts, but they're constantly working and getting treated horribly 22 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: very often. So why don't we start here. Let's start 23 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: at the ground level, where the workers are inside the warehouse. 24 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: Jeff Bezos made eleven and a half million dollars every 25 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,120 Speaker 1: hour of the pandemic. He shared almost none of it 26 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: with the warehouse workers. Amazon's working conditions hundreds of points 27 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: on zero as contracts are subjected to a regime described 28 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: as horrendous and exhausting. They're monitored at all times, Toilet 29 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: visits are regulated. Amazon On, which has over one hundred 30 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: seventy five fulfillment centers around the world and more than 31 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: half a million employees, was ranked one of the twelve 32 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 1: worst companies to work for. On average, Amazon warehouse workers 33 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: are paid around seventeen dollars an hour in the US 34 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: and around fourteen pounds an hour in the UK. These wages, 35 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: employers will often work ten to twelve hour shifts, constantly 36 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 1: on their feet, where they're expected to hit never ending targets. 37 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: A package must be dealt with every thirty seconds. If 38 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: you work in as a picker, you're expected to process 39 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: three hundred items per hour. You've given nine seconds to 40 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: take each item from a robot that delivers shelf upon 41 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: shelf of Amazon packages. Staff are constantly filmed in the 42 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: warehouse as they work and their toilet breaks at even time. 43 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: Workers get two fifteen minute breaks, much of which can 44 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: be taken up by just walking to the toilet through 45 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: the vast expanse of the warehouse. People often fall asleep 46 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 1: standing up will become injured at work, As reported by 47 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:02,959 Speaker 1: a journalist Brian Monegus, Leaked documents revealed in that New 48 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: York Staten Island Amazon warehouse reported injuries over three times 49 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: the industry average. To put that into context, the injury 50 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: percentages at the Amazon warehouse were worse than that steel 51 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: refineries and sawmills all over the world. Workers have voiced 52 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: anger at these horrific working conditions. I'm not talking about 53 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: some kind of modern day gulag here. This is the 54 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: ground floor of Amazon, a company that's made its founder 55 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: Jeff Bezos the richest man on Earth. Bezos is worth 56 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: an estimated one hundred and seventies seven billion dollars. On 57 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 1: working conditions that we've just mentioned at Amazon, Bezos has said, quote, 58 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: I'm very proud of our working conditions. For context, here's 59 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 1: what that quote is from It's a twenty eighteen Business 60 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: Insider interview. Today was um it's employing five hundreds sixty 61 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: six thousand people. You're probably the biggest drop crid of 62 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 1: recent times. At the same time, you're aggressively criticized by 63 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:18,720 Speaker 1: unions and by media for being low wages, for inappropriate 64 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: working conditions. How do you deal with these accusations? Well, 65 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: first of all, any criticism, My approach to criticism and 66 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: what I teach and preach inside Amazon is when you're criticized, 67 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: first look in a mirror and decide are your critics right. 68 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:42,720 Speaker 1: If they're right, change, don't want my list, No, but 69 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: not in this case. But we've had critics be right 70 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 1: before and we've changed. We have we we have made mistakes, 71 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: and you know, I can go I can go through 72 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,160 Speaker 1: a long list of probably the one of the early 73 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 1: most painful ones. Let's give this forward a bit because 74 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: basically he just diverts very quickly away for the criticism 75 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 1: that was leveled at him and the issue of working conditions. 76 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,360 Speaker 1: I'm very proud of our working conditions and am very 77 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: proud of the wages that we pay, very proud of 78 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: our working As I said that clip, is from mayen 79 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: full six months since some of the most noteworthy investigations 80 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: into Amazon working conditions began to surface. And that's what 81 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: Bazos had to say. I spoke to journalist James blood 82 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: Worth about the conditions inside Amazon warehouses across the UK. 83 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,719 Speaker 1: Blood Worth went undercover working in one of the warehouses 84 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: in sen for his book Hired six Months undercover in 85 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: low wage Britain. So I got a job with Amazon 86 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: through an employment agency called Transline. Um, it's very easy 87 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,039 Speaker 1: to get the job, So you just essentially had to 88 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 1: fill out a pile of forms. You also had to 89 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,840 Speaker 1: take a drug and alcoholture, which was slightly bizarre because 90 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: it's I mean, I've never had a job where I 91 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 1: had done had to do that before. Um, and then 92 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 1: you know, I was given a job kind of a 93 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 1: week later. The job itself, I mean, my first impressions 94 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: off the Amazon warehouse when I was going in, I 95 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: remember writing in my diary that the atmosphere of the 96 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: Amazon warehouse had the atmosphere of what I imagined a 97 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:22,039 Speaker 1: prison might feel like. Now that seems like hyperbole and 98 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: and it is to an extent, but I I did 99 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: think the place there was this awful like fearful atmosphere. 100 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:30,840 Speaker 1: In the UK, there were currently twenty one Amazon warehouses. 101 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: One of their largest is here. It's situated in Essex 102 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,160 Speaker 1: and it ships around one point two million items a year. 103 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 1: Amazon employees fifty five thousand people in the UK, the 104 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,359 Speaker 1: majority of them working long shifts on the warehouse floor 105 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 1: is James Bloodworth did. The one thing that struck me 106 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 1: as very unjust was amazon sickness policy. So when I 107 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,919 Speaker 1: worker was off sick, you'd you'd essentially be punished for 108 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:58,599 Speaker 1: taking a day off sick, even if you had a 109 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 1: note from the doctors. So I tested this policy out myself. 110 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: So I was actually ill one day I was working 111 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: at Amazon. I had a very heavy cold. I phoned up, 112 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: you know, the morning I was during at one o'clock 113 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: for my shrift one pm. I phoned up early in 114 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: the morning and said, I won't be able to make 115 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: it in today. I'm feeling ill. I said, you know, 116 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: I can bring a note from the doctors if if 117 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: you want me to, because I was, Yeah, I was 118 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: actually ill, And they said, no, that's fine. You've you know, 119 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 1: you've phoned up enough time before as as requested. So 120 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: so it won't be a problem. And then when I 121 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: returned to work the next day, I was told by 122 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: an Amazon supervisor who came to find me, he gave 123 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: me a disciplinary point. Um, so you had this point toys, 124 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: some six of these disciplinaries, you lose your job. But 125 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 1: they gave me a disciplinary point. He did before taking 126 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: the day are sick, and I explained my situation that, 127 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 1: you know, I offered a note from the doctor, and 128 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: I asked, you know, how is this even fair because 129 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,280 Speaker 1: it felt profoundly unjust because I've been ill and you 130 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: can't help getting sick, you know sometimes. But they said, 131 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: you know, this is what Amazon have always done, and 132 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: that was one of the policies that was happening at 133 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,239 Speaker 1: the warehouse I was working in and other warehouses Amazon warehouses, 134 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: because I've heard similar things from other workers. It was 135 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 1: if you were off sick, you know, however good your 136 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: reason you would you would be given a disciplinary for that. 137 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: But the hell is a disciplinary point. There's a point 138 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: that they would just call them a point, but each 139 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: point is that it is a disciplinary So you Amazon 140 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: management would give you points for breaking their rules in 141 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: some way or not breaking their rules just because they felt, 142 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:26,760 Speaker 1: you know, particularly capricious on that day. So I remember 143 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: people would were threatened with disciplinary points, for example for 144 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,920 Speaker 1: spending too much time in the bathroom. So we were 145 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:36,079 Speaker 1: in this warehouse that was seven hundred thousand square feet. 146 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: This warehousing rusually in Staffordshire and there would be signs 147 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,079 Speaker 1: boasting that it was the size of ten football pitchures. 148 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: So it's a huge, huge warehouse with four floors, and 149 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: we only had access in the in the warehouse to 150 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: two bathrooms which was situated at one side of this 151 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,280 Speaker 1: big warehouse. And to reach the bathrooms you had to 152 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 1: go through airport starts security anytime you left the anytime 153 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: you of the warehouse, because there was always this this 154 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: fear that we were somehow trying to steal things, that 155 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 1: workers were trying to steal it from the Amazon has 156 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: Now I'm sure it did happen sometimes, but but it 157 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:12,319 Speaker 1: also meant that every time you wanted to go to 158 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: the toilet, every time you wanted to go on your 159 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:17,920 Speaker 1: lunch break, you would have to pass through the airport 160 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: style security. So or so curiousy you know, in a 161 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:22,679 Speaker 1: in a high end nightclub where you have to take 162 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 1: your belt off, they go through your wallet and stuff. 163 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:27,719 Speaker 1: You put it on this like tray you know that 164 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 1: slides slides next to the slides, they slide it across 165 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:33,560 Speaker 1: next to the you know this kind of frame you 166 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: walk through to scan you and all of this, you 167 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:38,719 Speaker 1: know take it takes time. So like anytime you wanted 168 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 1: to use the bathroom, all of this time is not 169 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,560 Speaker 1: accounted for. You don't get time for toilet breaks. This 170 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: is called idle time. And then if you clock up 171 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:49,079 Speaker 1: too much quote quote idle time, as they call it, 172 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:51,959 Speaker 1: you would be given a disciplinary point. So you had 173 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,079 Speaker 1: effectively work as being given disciplinary points for going to 174 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 1: the bathroom. So just imagine that for a second. You 175 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:02,080 Speaker 1: work in twelve hours shifts in a huge warehouse where 176 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: productivity is literally monitored constantly via video cameras, and you're 177 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 1: timed on how quickly you work. You're earning a low wage, 178 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:13,840 Speaker 1: and then every time you need to go to the toilet, 179 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: you're searched as if you're boarding a flight somewhere. To 180 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 1: add insult to injury, you're also highly likely to incur 181 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,400 Speaker 1: a disciplinary point if you're laid back due to all 182 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: the time spent going through security. Imagine that every day, 183 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,319 Speaker 1: all day for five days a week just to earn 184 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,560 Speaker 1: barely enough to get by it. That's how the richest 185 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:38,720 Speaker 1: man on earth treats what are, in my opinion, his 186 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 1: most important workers. Without the warehouse staff moving out all 187 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:46,679 Speaker 1: the products on time, his whole business collapses. Now due 188 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: to the ridiculous time restrictions and the constant monitoring of 189 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: all staff productivity, even when they go to the toilet, 190 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:58,960 Speaker 1: many Amazon workers are forced to literally piss in a 191 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: bottle to avoid stopping their work. So during one of 192 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:06,559 Speaker 1: my shifts at Amazon at the warehouse, um, I was 193 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:09,440 Speaker 1: the one who found the bottle of urine in a 194 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:11,440 Speaker 1: coke bottle. It was very obvious by the color of 195 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: the liquor. What's what's happened. And it was also obvious 196 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 1: because people were afraid to take bathroom breaks in the 197 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:21,439 Speaker 1: warehouse because they were being given, uh given and threatened 198 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 1: with disciplinary points for what was called idle time by Amazon. 199 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: And yeah, I mean there was a survey when I 200 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: was working in the warehouse by a group called Organize, 201 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:33,840 Speaker 1: which surveyed a hundred workers in the way wherehouse I 202 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 1: worked with, and it found the survey found that of 203 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: workers questioned said they were afraid to take bathroom breaks 204 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: because of productivity targets. Earlier this year, when U S 205 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: Senator Bernie Sanders went to support Amazon workers who were 206 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:55,760 Speaker 1: trying to unionize, then Amazon executive and now Amazon CEO 207 00:11:56,120 --> 00:12:02,320 Speaker 1: Dave Clerk taunted Sanders. As documentary by journalist Ken Klippenstein. 208 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:07,760 Speaker 1: In the intercept on Twitter, Dave Clark said, quote, so, 209 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:09,959 Speaker 1: if you want to hear about fifteen dollars an hour 210 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:14,240 Speaker 1: and healthcare, Senator Sanders will be speaking downtown. But if 211 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 1: you would like to make at least fifteen dollars an 212 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 1: hour and have good healthcare, Amazon is hiring. End quote. 213 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:27,480 Speaker 1: US Representative Mark Percan replied, saying, quote paying workers fifteen 214 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 1: dollars an hour doesn't make you a progressive workplace when 215 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: you union bust and make workers urinate in water bottles. 216 00:12:35,600 --> 00:12:40,079 Speaker 1: End quote. To this, the official Amazon News Twitter account, 217 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 1: which has two hundred thousand followers, replied saying, quote, you 218 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:47,760 Speaker 1: don't really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you? 219 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 1: If that were true, nobody would work for us. The 220 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,400 Speaker 1: truth is that we have over a million incredible employees 221 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 1: around the world who are proud of what they do 222 00:12:57,160 --> 00:13:02,240 Speaker 1: and have great wages. And healthcare from day one. End quote, 223 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: as we've just heard from James Bloodworth. Actually it is 224 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,680 Speaker 1: true people do piss in bottles whilst working for Amazon 225 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: because they're worried that simply going to the toilet will 226 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:17,200 Speaker 1: earn them a disciplinary point if they don't do it 227 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 1: quick enough. Now, James Bloodworth saw this in six and 228 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:27,959 Speaker 1: in one it is still going on. This practice is 229 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:32,440 Speaker 1: actually more common Amazon warehouses than the Amazon used Twitter 230 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 1: account would like you to believe. In the same article 231 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:40,319 Speaker 1: by Ken Clippenstein that I just mentioned, he provides evidence 232 00:13:40,440 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: showing that pissing in bottles at Amazon warehouses is so 233 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 1: widespread due to pressure to meet quotas that managers frequently 234 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: referenced it during meetings and in formal policy documents and emails. 235 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 1: Clippenstein obtained some of these Amazon documents and eight quote. 236 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:05,440 Speaker 1: The practice these documents show was known to management, which 237 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: identified it as a recurring infraction, but did nothing to 238 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: ease the pressure that caused it. In some cases, employees 239 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:18,600 Speaker 1: even defecated in bags end quote. It's grim, it's brutal, 240 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,960 Speaker 1: but it's the reality. A confidential Amazon email is also 241 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:28,840 Speaker 1: provided in Clippenstein's article. It's from May twenty just last year, 242 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 1: and it was sent by an on road area manager 243 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: in Pittsburgh in America. I'll read the whole thing out 244 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,600 Speaker 1: as I think it's yet another item of interest here 245 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:44,760 Speaker 1: that seriously undermines Amazon's claims that the peeing in water 246 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:50,920 Speaker 1: bottles thing is untrue. Quote Hello. This evening, an associate 247 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:55,040 Speaker 1: discovered human feces in an Amazon bag that was returned 248 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,479 Speaker 1: to station by a driver. This is the third occasion 249 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 1: in the last two months when bags have been returned 250 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 1: to station with poop inside. We understand that the d 251 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 1: as may have emergencies while on road, and especially during 252 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 1: COVID d as have struggled to find bathrooms while delivering. Regardless, 253 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:21,320 Speaker 1: das cannot must not return bags to station with poop inside. 254 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 1: We've noticed an uptic recently of all kinds of unsanitary 255 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:31,720 Speaker 1: garbage being left inside backs, used masks, gloves, bottles of urine. 256 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 1: By scanning the QR code on the bag, we can 257 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:38,960 Speaker 1: easily identify the d A who was in possession of 258 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 1: the bag last These behaviors are unacceptable and will result 259 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 1: in Tier one infractions going forward. Please communicate this message 260 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: to your driver's I know it may seem obvious or 261 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 1: like something you shouldn't need to coach, But please be 262 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: explicit when communicating the message that they cannot poop all 263 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: eave bottles of urine inside bags. The health and safety 264 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 1: of all the as and Amazon associates will always be 265 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 1: our top priority. None of us should have to deal 266 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:12,320 Speaker 1: with these kinds of messes. Please respond and confirm that 267 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:17,080 Speaker 1: you have received this email. Thanks for your support. End quote. 268 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: Now I get it you're gonna say, well, yeah, obviously 269 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 1: people should not ship in bags and pissing bottles. Whether 270 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 1: it worked, that is absolutely disgusting. Well, yeah, it is 271 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 1: absolutely disgusting. But ask yourself if someone could have the 272 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: time to go to the toilet and wouldn't risk losing 273 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 1: their job for it, do you think they would really 274 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: take a ship in a bag and pissing a bottle instead? 275 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 1: I doubt it very much. A lot of this is 276 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: due to pressure from the quotas put on the workers 277 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 1: by Amazon. To get a more recent firsthand account of 278 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:58,640 Speaker 1: the working conditions inside Amazon warehouses, I spoke to Brian Denning. 279 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 1: Denning worked well Amazon in the p d X nine 280 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: warehouse in trout Dale, Oregon, in America. He was there 281 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:13,480 Speaker 1: from my to December, so just last year. Flu Center 282 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:16,879 Speaker 1: pd X nine is a little under a million square 283 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:22,280 Speaker 1: feet about forty football field in size four stories and um, yeah, 284 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:25,679 Speaker 1: so I worked there in inbound stow. I was doing 285 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:29,200 Speaker 1: um stowing into the robotic cabinets and also I worked 286 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:31,640 Speaker 1: as a lead water spider and water spider and that's 287 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:34,640 Speaker 1: basically just pulling palettes of freight to the floor where 288 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:39,440 Speaker 1: I'm working. I hired on on a night shift there. Um, 289 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 1: the hiring processes as post people are pretty aware. It 290 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: was us almost entirely hands off. The only time I 291 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 1: was interacted with the human beings when I came in 292 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:49,560 Speaker 1: to get a photo form my uh my photo badge 293 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:53,879 Speaker 1: and then got in and uh, it's ten hour shifts 294 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 1: is when I started there. And then they pretty much 295 00:17:56,359 --> 00:18:00,719 Speaker 1: almost immediately went to mandatory extra times when they call 296 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 1: m E T. There's no mandatory over time, and that 297 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:07,359 Speaker 1: was often with anywhere from a couple of hours notice 298 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,399 Speaker 1: to four days notice was pretty average, so you wouldn't 299 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:13,119 Speaker 1: know what your day's offered necessarily until you got You 300 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:14,920 Speaker 1: knew which day was supposed to be your m ET day, 301 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 1: but it would be scheduled pretty short notice on that. 302 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: The other thing I noticed was we went from ten 303 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: hours to eleven hours almost right away as well, So um, 304 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: I went up to fifty five hour weeks. Most everyone 305 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,680 Speaker 1: else in the in the FC was fifty five hour weeks, 306 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:32,200 Speaker 1: and that during those um seven months I worked there, 307 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:34,920 Speaker 1: we had four and a half months of mandatory over time. 308 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: Just just be clear. So you could literally turn up 309 00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 1: for work and they're like, right, you're working an extra 310 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:43,120 Speaker 1: four hours a day or whatever. Sorry off your god. Yeah, 311 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: not necessarily an extra four hours, but they could definitely 312 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:47,720 Speaker 1: um end the shift with almost little or no notice, 313 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:49,399 Speaker 1: and also add a shift with the little or no 314 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:51,920 Speaker 1: notice a couple of hours and you find out, oh yeah, 315 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: by the way, you're working tomorrow or um yeah, it 316 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 1: would be pretty short noticed for for changes in your 317 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:00,399 Speaker 1: schedule for sure. And what were the working of ours like, 318 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 1: uh so it's all concrete and steel inside with um 319 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,280 Speaker 1: a ton of conveyor belts. It's relatively loud because everyone's 320 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 1: pulling pallette jacks. But but a couple of things that 321 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:12,480 Speaker 1: I noticed right away also was there's definitely a mix 322 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,400 Speaker 1: of people in the in the Villain Center, from young 323 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:19,159 Speaker 1: to old, all kinds of different groupings, um, different ethnicities 324 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:22,120 Speaker 1: and everything else that said, But I noticed the most 325 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 1: common thing was how many injuries there were, people limping, 326 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:30,000 Speaker 1: people of bad shoulders, bad knees, bad feet. Uh. And 327 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:33,399 Speaker 1: then seeing how fast the attrition rate was. So I 328 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:36,760 Speaker 1: hired on there in May. The group I hired on 329 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:41,200 Speaker 1: with was maybe ten people, and by like July, three 330 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 1: of them were gone. And then um, by December, I 331 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:47,080 Speaker 1: think I was maybe there's one other person in my 332 00:19:47,119 --> 00:19:50,200 Speaker 1: hiring group that I still see the building. Um, everybody 333 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:54,119 Speaker 1: else had left Amazon and six weeks it was a 334 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 1: pretty average turnover while I was there. Um. And certainly 335 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:59,119 Speaker 1: the other thing was that about it And this is 336 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:01,200 Speaker 1: just kind of my own part experience, and the people 337 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 1: mentioned this in different reference as well. But I so, 338 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,280 Speaker 1: I've done five years in prison in the United States 339 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:10,520 Speaker 1: and worked in prison furniture factories and prison kitchens. I've 340 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 1: worked on my feet in jobs, including my first baker 341 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,280 Speaker 1: jobs like a twelve hours shifts, like a twenty minute 342 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: break in the middle. Um. And so I'm used to 343 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:21,600 Speaker 1: like hard work. I'm used to heavy labor. I'm used 344 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:25,200 Speaker 1: to like shitting conditions. Um. This job in Amazon was 345 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 1: the most humanizing job I've ever worked in my life. So, 346 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: just in case you were wondering there, I did ask 347 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,640 Speaker 1: Brian Denning why was he in prison? And it turns out, 348 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,680 Speaker 1: as a much younger man, he went in with a 349 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:40,040 Speaker 1: gun into a bank and did one man armed bank robbery. 350 00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:43,399 Speaker 1: Didn't work out, obviously, he ended up in prison. You know, 351 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,399 Speaker 1: that's life. But I think the most interesting thing about 352 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:48,520 Speaker 1: this is that this guy is literally saying he's done 353 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 1: five years in serious prisons in America and he found 354 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:57,119 Speaker 1: the working conditions in Amazon more oppressive than the work 355 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:00,199 Speaker 1: he had to do in prison, and he was zing 356 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:03,120 Speaker 1: in a sense of like just um, I didn't know 357 00:21:03,359 --> 00:21:05,119 Speaker 1: my manager was for the first three months. There was 358 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,000 Speaker 1: a picture like on my on the app of someone 359 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:09,200 Speaker 1: who's mostly my manager that I never met. The only 360 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:10,919 Speaker 1: time you interact with another person is whether they're coming 361 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: to tell you that either you're not sewing fast enough, 362 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,919 Speaker 1: or you're making errors or something along those lines. Mostly 363 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 1: so it's really isolating, really dehumanizing. In a lot of ways. 364 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,479 Speaker 1: Everything is through apps. Everything's like a computer screen that's 365 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: constantly counting down what you're doing. This is another negative 366 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 1: aspect of the work conditions I've been seeing in reports 367 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:33,320 Speaker 1: from people who have worked at the Amazon warehouses the 368 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 1: creeping dystopia of only communicating with managers through apps, having 369 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:41,639 Speaker 1: your productivity timed by robots in the warehouse, and being 370 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:47,199 Speaker 1: constantly monitored right now during COVID especially, it's not conducive 371 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:51,000 Speaker 1: to mental health if you're isolated at work, watched over 372 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: by robots, and only spoken to by your managers through 373 00:21:55,359 --> 00:22:00,080 Speaker 1: a phone screen. However, Amazon insists in productive. It's the 374 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,879 Speaker 1: above all. The other thing I noticed almost right away was, um, 375 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 1: this is a trillion dollar company, right, Like, they have 376 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:08,640 Speaker 1: unlimited money to spend on whatever they want. Six times 377 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,760 Speaker 1: the injury rate of the national average for the industry 378 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:15,520 Speaker 1: that they're in, you know in Washington State. Uh, Amazon 379 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:18,160 Speaker 1: is now ranked is more dangerous a job to work 380 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 1: at one of their fcs than mechanized logging or law enforcement. 381 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: Because it's just like, their injury rate is so high. Um, 382 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:28,040 Speaker 1: and that's because there's no incentives in there to actually 383 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,919 Speaker 1: um like, for safety, it's all about speed so everything 384 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,520 Speaker 1: also than all this material. Basically, they don't have enough 385 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,280 Speaker 1: tools through the job consistently, so never enough hand scanners, 386 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:43,000 Speaker 1: never enough radio is never enough palette jacks. Never enough, 387 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:45,560 Speaker 1: gay lord, it's never enough of like the basic materials 388 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 1: you need to do your jobs. You're scrambling from Florida 389 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:51,600 Speaker 1: FLOORA trying to hunt down the basic equipment. UM. Also, 390 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:53,920 Speaker 1: every time you open up a hand scanner, every time 391 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 1: you to interact with the computer screen, not every single time, 392 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:59,040 Speaker 1: but like at least three or four times during your shift, 393 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:03,480 Speaker 1: your UM to go to actually access or use that material, 394 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:07,040 Speaker 1: you have to answer a survey. So surveys like tell 395 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:09,160 Speaker 1: me about your manager, tell me about your co workers, 396 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:12,040 Speaker 1: how are the bathrooms are they open? Um? How would 397 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:15,159 Speaker 1: you you know? How is everybody maintaining social distancing? That 398 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:16,920 Speaker 1: kind of stuff, And so it was really just kind 399 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 1: of a very dystopian, um funked up place to work 400 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:23,440 Speaker 1: in a lot of ways. But this is like, yeah, 401 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:29,320 Speaker 1: just amazingly how just to humanizing and how disconnected from 402 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: the workforce the actual company and the messaging is constantly 403 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 1: basically there's the there's a service messaging, which is kind 404 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 1: of like, oh, yes, we value customers, we value what 405 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,640 Speaker 1: we're doing, and we're a great company, blah blah blah. 406 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:45,720 Speaker 1: But the underlying message constantly is you are completely disposable. 407 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 1: You're the part of the equation that we're going to 408 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:50,240 Speaker 1: use up and throw away. And um, here on this 409 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: app if you want to quit, you can put anytime. 410 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:54,159 Speaker 1: Here's the button to quit, like like you know, we um, 411 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,480 Speaker 1: we hate to see you go, but there's the door 412 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 1: as fast as you'd like to get out. Which I 413 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:00,119 Speaker 1: think it's kind of by them in the ASP as 414 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 1: they're having trouble recruiting now because they've burned through so 415 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:05,160 Speaker 1: many people. Considering all that, how do you feel when, 416 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:09,240 Speaker 1: for example, Bezos said in an interview, UM, you know, 417 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:12,040 Speaker 1: it's not true that there's any problem with the working conditions. 418 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 1: Are working conditions are find that sort of thing? Um, yeah, 419 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 1: when basics and stuff like that, I think that's basically 420 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:22,720 Speaker 1: him blowing smoke up his investors asses. Um uh, you 421 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,720 Speaker 1: know the working conditions. Certainly there are places within Amazon, 422 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 1: and I'm certainly there's people with an Amazon that probably 423 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:31,480 Speaker 1: do okay where they're at, whether they're whether the hours 424 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: aren't crazy, whatever else. I haven't met those people necessarily, 425 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 1: but I'm sure they exist somewhere, right. But because it's 426 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 1: a big company. And that said, the majority of conditions 427 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 1: I see when I talk to drivers, when I talk 428 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 1: to people who work in the scs, when I talk 429 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: to people who work in the flex delivery sites, overall 430 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:51,800 Speaker 1: conditions are not good. So we've heard it here in 431 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: this episode. Many examples of unfair, unsanitary, and even dangerous 432 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: working conditions inside Amazon warehouses from the UK to the US. 433 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:07,120 Speaker 1: This is not a rumor. It's not bitter workers kicking 434 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,240 Speaker 1: up of us for no reason. It's not people expecting 435 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,639 Speaker 1: the world for their warehouse job. It's just normal workers 436 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:16,800 Speaker 1: wanting a bit of dignity whilst they worked their asses 437 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 1: off for Amazon, which, let's remind ourselves again, is one 438 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: of the most profitable corporations on Earth. They reported a 439 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:32,120 Speaker 1: net income of more than twenty one billion US dollars. 440 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 1: The net profits sowed by eight one this year, with 441 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: sales hitting the three hundred and eighties six billion US dollars. 442 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:46,320 Speaker 1: Surely Bazos can stop going to the moon for two 443 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:49,359 Speaker 1: minutes and do something to improve the conditions in the 444 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 1: warehouses for the people that helped him make this much money. 445 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: Next episode, we'll find out what happened when Amazon warehouse 446 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:04,040 Speaker 1: workers tried to unionize in a bid to improve the situation. Themselves. 447 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: This has been Megacorp. Megacorp is made by my production 448 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:17,399 Speaker 1: company H eleven for Cool Zone Media. It's written, researched 449 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:22,400 Speaker 1: and produced by myself, Jake Hanrahan. It was also produced 450 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:28,199 Speaker 1: by Sophie Lichtman. Music is by some Black, graphics by 451 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:32,960 Speaker 1: Adam Doyle and sound engineering by Splicing Block. If you 452 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:35,879 Speaker 1: want to get in touch, follow me on social media 453 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 1: at Jake Underscore Hanrahan. That's h A N A h 454 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: A n