CONNELL: AMAZON COMING
UNDERFIRE.
THE COMPANY FACING PRESSURE AS
THOUSANDS OF EMPLOYEES ACROSS
THE GLOBE ARE SPEAKING OUT
AGAINST THE E-COMMERCE GIANT'S
WORKING CONDITIONS.
A SIGN THAT THE COMPANY'S
INCREASE TO $15 MINIMUM WAGE MAY
NOT BE ENOUGH TO SATISFY WORKERS
NEEDS.
OUR NEXT GUEST TOOK A JOB AN
AMAZON WAREHOUSE IN INDIAN THAT.
I WORKED AT A AMAZON FULFILLMENT
CENTER.
THEY TREAT WORKERS LIKE ROBOTS.
EMILY WROTE A BOOK CALLED, ON
THE CLOCK.
FOR CONTEXT FOR OUR VIEWERS.
YOU WORKED AT THE AMAZON
FACILITY IN INDIANA, A CALL
CENTER IN NORTH CAROLINA,
McDONALD'S IN SAN FRANCISCO.
THE IDEA WAS TO EXPERIENCE,
QUOTE, UNQUOTE, LOW-WAGE WORK,
WRITE ABOUT IT.
YOU DID IN THIS BOOK, ON THE
CLOCK.
FOCUS TODAY ON AMAZON.
TELL US WHAT YOUR EXPERIENCE WAS
LIKE THERE, THROUGH THE CONTEXT,
WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY TREAT YOU
LIKE A ROBOT.
>> SO WHEN IT COMES IT A ROBOT
IT IS MORE LIKE THAT YOU ARE
SORT OF HELD TO ROBOTIC
STANDARDS OF PRODUCTIVITY, WHICH
IN MY KAY WHEN I WAS A PICKER AT
F-8, WE CARRIED AROUND A SCAN
GUN.
IT WOULD ASSIGN YOU TASKS.
WHEN YOU GOT, EVERY TIME YOU
SCANNED SOMETHING TO COMPLETE
THAT TASK, IT WOULD IMMEDIATELY
GIVE YOU A NEW ONE.
THERE IS A BAR AT THE BOTTOM,
THAT WOULD START TICKING DOWN
THE SECONDS YOU HAD LEFT TO DO
IT.
CONNELL: THEY WERE TRACKING YOU,
YOU WERE SAYING THE WHOLE TIME?
>> YEAH.
THE THING WAS GPS ENABLED.
CONNELL: AMAZON HAS RESPONDED, I
WILL TELL YOU WHAT THEY SAID IN
A SECOND.
>> I KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO
SAY.
CONNELL: HERE IT IS, LET ME GET
TO IT FIRST.
I WILL ASK YOU ANOTHER QUESTION.
FOR SOMEONE WHO ONLY WORKED AT
AMAZON FOR 11 DAYS, EMILY'S
STATEMENTS ARE NOT AN ACCURATE
PORTRAYAL OF WORKING IN OUR
BUILDINGS.
WE'RE PROUD OF THE SAFE WORK
PLACES AND ALLEGATIONS ARE
DEMEANING TO PASSIONATE
EMPLOYEES, BECAUSE PRIDE AND
COMMITMENT MAKE THE AMAZON
EXPERIENCE GREAT.
IN THE STATEMENT ONE OF THE
THINGS THEY POINT OUT, YOU ONLY
WORKED THERE 11 DAYS.
WAS THAT ENOUGH TIME TO GET A
TRUE SENSE WHAT IT IS LIKE TO
WORK AT AMAZON?
>> ALL RIGHT.
SO THEY SAID APPROXIMATELY 11
DAYS WHICH IS A LITTLE SILLY.
ALSO YOU KNOW, LIKE THE AVERAGE
AMAZON, LIKE MONTH OF WORK IS 16
DAYS.
YEAH, I GOT THE FLU DURING MY
THIRD WEEK, I HAD TO TAKE A
COUPLE DAYS OFF.
LEFT A COUPLE DAYS EARLY.
BUT, NO, YEAH, LIKE ALSO IT IS
NOT REALLY JUST ABOUT ME.
I TALKED TO DOZENS AND DOZENS OF
MY COWORKERS HERE AND PEOPLE AT
OTHER FULFILLMENT CENTERS.
AND SHARED MY EXPERIENCE.
IF THAT IS WHAT THEY WANT TO
SAY.
CONNELL: TALKED ABOUT BEING
TRACKED AND FELT LIKE A, AS YOU
SAID, LIKE A ROBOT.
I WILL ASK YOU THIS, SIMPLE AS I
CAN, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?
WHAT IS THE, WHAT WAS THE
PROBLEM WITH THAT?
WHY DID YOU FEEL IT WAS UNFAIR
TO BE TREATED THAT WAY?
>> I WOULDN'T SAY EXACTLY UNFAIR
BUT IT IS KIND OF INHUMANE.
LIKE YOU GET TO GO OUT FOR
COFFEE, IF YOU WANT.
YOU GET TO USE THE BATHROOM IF
YOU WANT, RIGHT.
TECHNICALLY PEOPLE WHO WORK AT
AMAZON CAN USE THE BATHROOM.
WHEN THEY DO, IT IS LIKE THEY'RE
CONSTANTLY BEING TIMED.
SO THERE ARE RATE DROPS.
IF YOUR RATE DROPS FAR ENOUGH,
THAT'S IT YOU ARE TOLD YOU WILL
BE FIRED.
CONNELL: EVERYBODY'S HABITS
DURING THE DAY HOW MUCH THEY
TAKE A BREAK, THERE TO TAKE A
CIGARETTE OUTSIDE, GO TO THE
BATHROOM, EVERYBODY IS TAKING
THOSE BREAKS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, AMAZON'S
BASIC POINT WE'RE TRACKING HOW
PRODUCTIVE YOU ARE, WE NEED TO
KNOW HOW MUCH WORK YOU ARE
GETTING DONE.
WE FACTOR ALL THAT IN.
GOES BACK TO THE EARLIER
QUESTION, WHAT IS WRONG WITH
THAT?
>> WELL IT IS, I THINK IT IS
JUST A LOT THAN YOU'RE
IMAGINING.
I ENDED UP, I SNUCK A STEP
TRACKER IN WHEN I WAS WORKING
THERE.
I WAS DOING BETWEEN 13 AND
16 MILES OF WALKING PER DAY.
CONNELL: 16 MILES IN ONE DAY AT
WORK?
WOW.
>> YES.
CONNELL: HOW MANY HOURS DID YOU
WORK THERE?
>> LIKE A DAY.
MY SHIFT WAS BETWEEN 6:30 A.M.
AND 6:00 P.M.
MELISSA: WOW.
CONNELL: 12 PLUS HOUR DAY.
YOU'RE PUTTING 16 MILES?
>> NO, IT IS 11 HOURS AND A HALF
HOUR LUNCH THAT IS UNPAID.
CLOCK OUT FOR IT.
CONNELL: SO WE HAVE TO WRAP THIS
UP.
WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST?
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THEM
CHANGE REAL QUICK BEFORE WE LET
YOU GO?
>> THAT IS THE THING.
IT ISN'T JUST AMAZON.
THIS IS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.
WE'VE GOTTEN SO GOOD MONITORING,
TRACKING WORKERS IT STARTED TO
BECOME LIKE A BELT THAT IS BEING
PULLED REALLY TIGHT AROUND THE
MIDDLES OF ALL KINDS OF WORKERS
TODAY.
AND IT IS, I DON'T KNOW, READ MY
BOOK.
I REALLY GET INTO IT WITH A LOT