Episode 40 Amazon & Wage Theft
Jeff Bezos has stepped down as the CEO of Amazon! But what legacy will he leave behind? Or, more importantly, what precedence has his company set for wages in America?
Jeff Bezos is stepping down as Amazon’s CEO, but his empire remains intact. Or, to quote Percy Bysshe Shelly; “Look upon my works ye mighty, and despair!”On today’s episode we take a look at the $15-an-hour model that’s allowed Bezo’s empire to conquer the shopping world, and we’ll compare Amazon’s warehouses to other big-name businesses that have gone to court over wage theft and shady labor practices in the last few years. We’ll also discuss minimum wage in general, why the president is pushing for $15 a federal minimum wage, and how $15-an-hour (or less) became a business standard for half of America’s workforce. We’ll ask the all-important question: how did business in America get here, and how do we convince corporations to raise their pay?
Special Note: As of this January, Elon Musk is technically the richest man in the world, surpassing Jeff Bezos. But for the sake of argument we’ll be using Bezos and Amazon as our model for modern Pharaohs.
History Links:
https://logicmag.io/bodies/surviving-amazon/
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/supreme-court-case-shows-how-amazon-legally-cheats-workers/
https://www.cnet.com/features/amazon-fired-these-7-pregnant-workers-then-came-the-lawsuits/
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/26/minimum-wage-workers-cannot-afford-2-bedroom-rental-anywhere-in-the-us.html#:~:text=But%20a%20new%20report%20finds,30%25%20of%20a%20renter's%20budget.
https://prospect.org/power/wage-theft-real-national-emergency/
Science Links:
https://www.epi.org/publication/employers-steal-billions-from-workers-paychecks-each-year/
https://www.publicjustice.net/a-victory-against-wage-theft-and-for-class-actions-in-braun-v-walmart/
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/71-flsa-internships