Warren, Hawley Press Amazon’s Bezos on Unfair Scheduling Practices Hurting Workers
Amazon’s “just-in-time” scheduling leaves hourly workers with volatile schedules, uncertain paychecks
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) pressed Amazon’s Jeff Bezos on the company’s unfair scheduling practices, the latest in the lawmakers’ bipartisan partnership to notch wins for American workers.
A new Harvard survey found that 41% of Amazon employees get their schedule less than two weeks ahead of when they are scheduled to work, a practice known as “just-in-time” scheduling. For many employees — especially for those with responsibilities outside of their Amazon job, like caregiving, education, or additional jobs — just-in-time arrangements are unworkable.
“Amazon is running its years-old playbook: squeezing workers while raking in sky-high profits. We’re fighting back to make sure Amazon’s employees are treated fairly, not thrown under the bus so Amazon and its wealthy executives can get even richer,” said Senator Warren.
“Amazon has a history of cutting corners in the workplace. This includes using algorithms that spit out last-minute work schedules, making it impossible for working Americans to plan for childcare, night classes, or a second job,” said Senator Hawley. “American workers deserve scheduling practices that treat them with dignity—not automated timesheets meant for cogs in Corporate America's machine.”
Just-in-time scheduling could have other consequences beyond leaving workers with little control over their own schedules and lives. The practice could mean that workers aren’t given enough hours, forcing them to become part-time workers with virtually no notice or ability to budget accordingly. Workers in the warehousing and transportation sectors are particularly likely to report high rates of anxiety, stress, and lack of control over their jobs as compared to other sectors — on top of elevated risk of injury and illness. And Amazon’s use of just-in-time scheduling could be indicative of other unfair scheduling practices, like “on-call” requirements — which force workers to remain available for shifts that may or may not come to be — or refusal to reschedule workers.
“We cannot let billionaire corporations get away with mistreating their workers so that they can further pad their profit margins,” wrote the senators.
The lawmakers requested more information by September 23 in order to ensure that Amazon’s employees are being treated fairly and with dignity.
Senators Warren and Hawley have partnered together in the past to notch important wins for consumers, including ensuring consumers’ right to an automatic refund if an airline cancels or delays their flight and clawing back the compensation of executives of failed banks.
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