Amazon sold more than 300 million items over two days, more than any previous Prime Day, the company said Thursday. Best-selling items included diapers, beauty products and Apple watches, according to Amazon.
The company has long used the two-day event to lure people to its Prime membership. This year, it could help Amazon boost profitability amid a slowdown in overall online sales.
A report released in April by Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of four labor unions, found Amazon employed 33% of all U.S. warehouse workers in 2021, but was responsible for 49% of all injuries in the industry.
Seattle-based Amazon doubled the size of its operations during the pandemic, adding more warehouses and employees. But as the worst of the pandemic eased, it found itself with too much warehouse space and too many workers.
The White House responded by pointing out that Jeff Bezos’ attacks emerged days after Biden met in the Oval Office with the labor leaders behind Amazon’s unionization drive, which the company has vehemently opposed.
Labor organizers and experts say they expect the momentum to organize at Amazon’s more than 1,000 warehouses across the country to continue despite the loss.
Amazon prospered during the COVID-19 pandemic as homebound people eager to limit human contact turned online to purchase what they need. But growth has slowed as vaccinated Americans feel more comfortable going out.
In a notice sent to sellers Wednesday, the company said its costs had gone up since the beginning of the pandemic due to increases in hourly wages, the hiring of workers and construction of more warehouses.
If a majority of Amazon workers votes yes in either Bessemer or Staten Island, it would mark the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the company’s history.
Amazon is gearing up for its toughest labor fight yet, with two separate union elections coming to a head as soon as next week that could provide further momentum to the recent wave of organizing efforts across the country.
The House Judiciary Committee escalated the bipartisan battle against the world’s biggest online retailer with a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, referring the case for a criminal inquiry.
Amazon plans to add hundreds of jobs at the facility, including receiving, sorting and shipping, and network logistics support.
Another major outage in Amazon’s cloud computing network has raised questions about the vulnerability of the internet and its concentration in the hands of a few firms.
The letter from more than a dozen lawmakers asks Amazon for documents and details about its policies for safety drills, storm shelters and flexible working hours during storms.
Kentucky’s governor says a devastating tornado touched down for 227 miles—more than 200 in his state—and deaths were feared in 10 counties.
Amazon’s announcement follows a secretive process in which Elkhart County officials approved an estimated $10 million tax break package for the project without revealing the company involved.
Amazon’s starting pay is still $15 per hour, but with labor markets growing so tight in regions of the country, the company said new hires could make as much as $22.50 an hour. It’s also paying sign-on bonuses of $3,000 in some places.
Amazon said all the open roles are for tech jobs and corporate positions. Separately, the company has been hiring thousands of warehouse workers to pack and ship online orders.
For Amazon, this could be an opportunity to shake things up: Its 30,000-square-foot department stores would be about one-third the size of a traditional mall anchor, mirroring plans by many of the country’s retailers to open smaller, more easily-accessible stores.
The move follows steps by a slew of other retailers, including Walmart and Target, to mandate masks for their workers.
