Amazon's warehouse workers fear coronavirus spread after European workers test positive... - 0 views
-
It may not just be workers’ safety at stake. Recent research shows that the coronavirus can potentially remain viable — capable of infecting a person — for up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to three days on plastic and stainless steel, though covid-19 has primarily spread through direct person-to-person contact.
-
So even though Amazon is encouraging workers to wash their hands, it’s not giving them enough time to do so, Bailey said. The nearest bathroom is a two- to three-minute walk in each direction, reducing the amount of time he and his colleagues have to meet company shipping expectations, he said.
-
“If a worker is to cough or sneeze, there is no way for them to practice good sanitary habits" and run to a restroom to wash hands, said Bailey, who has worked for Amazon since last summer. “It’s going to affect your stow rate.”
- ...1 more annotation...
-
That’s one reason the worker petition calls for eliminating rate-based write-ups. The petition also demands that the company provide paid sick leave even if workers don’t have a covid-19 diagnosis because testing remains difficult to get. And it seeks to make sure warehouses are shut down if a worker tests positive for covid-19 and not reopened until it’s been thoroughly cleaned.