Is Amazon failing its warehouse workers?

Almost a year after the start of the pandemic, Amazon’s treatment of their warehouse workers in the age of COVID-19 has remained at the forefront of health and safety concerns in the workplace. The electronic shopping giant has grown and benefited immensely from the pandemic, achieving 4.5 times the profit it gained in 2020 compared to 2019, amounting to an extra $6 billion in profits. Currently, the company operates two sorting centres and 13 fulfillment/distribution centres across Canada, with most locations in British Columbia and Ontario. Statements from the company state that they have invested millions to decrease the spread of the virus and keep employees safe, but Amazon’s workers do not share these same sentiments.

Globally, Amazon is ranked as the #2 best employer on Forbes’ annual rankings, but according to data from Ontario’s Ministry of Labour from March to December of 2020, the company received one of the highest number of complaints from any warehousing company. A sampling of at least three dozen COVID-19 related complaints at Amazon indicated a variety of concerns: “Among them, employees not being informed after workers test positive; a lack of physical distancing; health concerns brought to management but not addressed; a lack of access to hand sanitizers and lack of enforcement of proper mask use.”

In most recent news, Peel Public Health issued the closing of Amazon Canada’s Brampton facility, indicating that all employees must self-isolate for two weeks, effective March 13, 2021. In a statement released by Peel Public Health, Dr. Lawrence Loh stated, “This Amazon facility is in a vulnerable community and employs thousands of people. Immediate action must be taken to protect these essential workers and the community where they live.” The facility has had more than 600 cases in total, with almost half of those cases reported in recent weeks. While the COVID-19 infection rate has decreased across the city, Amazon’s reported cases have shown significant growth. Peel Public Health and Amazon Canada have been working closely to control the outbreak, and Loh says this decision will allow the company more time to implement additional operational changes recommended by Peel Public Health in an attempt to prevent future outbreaks.

A spokesperson for Amazon indicated that the company will be paying all employees for the time spent in self-isolation and plans to appeal the decision. Amazon reiterates that it prioritizes the safety of its workers, citing the various safety measures implemented at the Brampton facility, including “testing all employees twice in the past three weeks, providing sick pay for up to 14 days for employees self-isolating and investing $17 million in COVID-19 safety measures and equipment.” A spokesman for the Ministry of Labour stated on March 15 that the Brampton facility was also being investigated by the local public health unit for potential labour violations.

With the vast number of Amazon worker complaints received by the Ministry of Labour and the daily number of COVID-19 cases in the company remaining high, Amazon Canada has declined requests to release their data to the public. In contrast, Amazon U.S. revealed on October 20, 2020 that nearly 20,000 of their front-line workers tested positive or have been presumed positive for the COVID-19 virus. This information was provided in a corporate blog to keep employees informed and hopefully influence other larger companies to do the same. In Canada however, Amazon refused to disclose this information despite repeated requests from news outlets, labour groups, and Amazon workers. Instead, the company finds it sufficient to communicate with its employees and local public health authorities as specific numbers can “lack a significant amount of context.”

In addition, Amazon warehouse workers claim the company uses a productive-monitoring system in its Canadian facilities which indicates an employee’s TOT (time spent off-task),forcing them to race against digital timers, oftentimes at the expense of their own health. In the past, Amazon Canada confirmed it tracks and upholds productivity standards in its distribution centres but did not comment on whether they have penalties for inaccuracy or decreased productivity during the pandemic. However, court documents in 2018 from the United States confirmed that employees can be penalized if the productive-monitoring system indicates that workers are spending too much TOT between scans. When these scanners are used, workers are forced to prioritize high productivity rates as opposed to physical distancing and other health and safety precautions to ensure they are not reprimanded in any way.

As Canada fights against COVID-19 and the detrimental impacts this pandemic has caused, the concern about the virus’s spread in industrial workplaces remains steadfast. Amazon warehouses are considered essential services because of the food-processing and distribution facilities it provides through online retailing, facing very few government restrictions. A more transparent approach to the sharing of information along with adjustments to their policies could be beneficial to curbing the spread of COVID-19 and ensuring the safety of workers and Canadians as a whole.