[ITB]

I don’t understand why all these comments are about who buys or doesn’t buy at Amazon. The article is about unionization and strikes. I expect a conversation about the merits of unions and their negotiation tactics. In my opinion, events like these will just accelerate job elimination. The goal of a logistics company is to be reliable. Humans are unreliable and more so when they are purposely and collectively unreliable. I’ve lived in a country with very powerful unions and it sucks— miss every 5th flight because the union decides to strike.

[benterix]

> I don’t understand why all these comments are about who buys or doesn’t buy at Amazon.

The logical connection is as follows: Bezos decided to optimize everything to its limits, including human behavior, to the very limits of law. To literally track every movement of employees and abusing the power the company holds over them. This is an ongoing process that we are all painfully aware of. Because of that, there is a growing negative feeling towards them that causes people not to give them their money. That's why instead of unions we are talking about boycotting Amazon.

[yoyohello13]

> I’ve lived in a country with very powerful unions and it sucks— miss every 5th flight because the union decides to strike.

I'm willing to accept inconvenience if it means strong workers' rights.

[Fin_Code]

Keep saying that when a vacation get ruined because your connections got messed up and your out thousands of dollars.

[ternnoburn]

Because people want to feel connected, and recognize that Amazon is an unethical entity.

If you read about Amazon mistreating workers to the point that they strike, you can feel good by saying, "I won't support that company!"

The general term is "solidarity", and it's a mix of empathy and action and encouragement for others to do the same.

[vel0city]

> In my opinion, events like these will just accelerate job elimination

Sure, probably. The jobs that can be automated will eventually be automated. But while they're still needed, I'd hope they have some basic protections and decent wages.

If my online shopping costs go up 0.5% but now a thousand workers don't have to have the mental stress of "I really need a pee break, can my metrics take the few minute hit this week or will I lose my job and go homeless?", I'll take that trade in a heartbeat.

[nickff]

Most companies’ largest expense is labor/wages (usually somewhere on the order of 25-50%), and profit margins are usually on the order of 0-5%. Increasing pay or benefits substantially would increase costs by a lot more than 0.5%.

[hirako2000]

unions and strikes are not illegal.

The merits of unions, not always but their goals are, multiple. a/ compensation and working conditions leverage in negotiations b/ structure that can directly address all sort of issues the employer don't care about and isn't obliged to deal with.

That it makes your service experience particularly painful is exactly the goal, bad (or better, no) customers experience hurts the employer, guaranteed.

Disclosure: raised in France.

[ITB]

But it’s also not illegal to get fed up and go above and beyond to automate everyone.