Amazon has revolutionized the way a lot of Americans shop — particularly through their delivery service.
Unfortunately, there’s a national shortage of delivery drivers. Amazon has had to farm out its deliveries just to keep up with the consumer demand. Many of those delivery drivers work for third-party companies that subcontract the work — and the drivers say that the pressure to conform to unreasonable standards is intense. Failing to conform, however, is worse.
The drivers who work for the courier companies that deliver Amazon packages detail abuses that are astounding. Some of the abuses include:
- Mocking an employee who injured himself on a delivery and insisting that he finish the route
- Firing an employee just short of a 90-day qualifying period for benefits
- Denying overtime pay and threatening to fire employees who complain
- Withholding wages if an employee complained about conditions
- Threatening to fire an employee if he or she did not come into work on an unscheduled day
- Threatening to take an employee’s name off the delivery route for a week to punish him or her for missing work
- Punishing employees who ask for accommodations by assigning them the hardest, least desirable routes
- Offering to schedule an employee off on weekends only if the employee paid for the privilege
- Punishing employees who complain about conditions by sending them home for a day without a route, depriving them of income
- Withholding pay from employees who complain or make a mistake for a week or more and claiming that is was due to “a mistake” in payroll
Many employees say that they put up with the conditions simply because they fear being fired. They say that there’s always someone ready to take their spot.
Make no mistake, however, that all of these actions are unacceptable. Employer retaliation is illegal — and it’s actionable in a court of law. If your employer fires you or withholds your wages after you complain about working conditions, file a workers’ compensation claim or ask for accommodations, it’s time to explore all your legal options.
