WAREHOUSE WORKERS IN THE CHICAGO AREA ALLEGE HARSH AND DANGEROUS WORKING CONDITIONS
When Dina Blouin, an Amazon warehouse worker, was handling a package of coffee, she noticed something odd.
The package had come open, but she could barely smell it.
“I freaked out,” Blouin said. Loss of smell is one possible symptom of contracting the coronavirus, and sure enough — she had it.
Blouin, who works in an Amazon Fulfillment Center in Matteson, contracted COVID-19 on the job last month, she said.
The situation was frightening not only because of her health, but also because her father, a 74-year-old veteran, relies on her for his day-to-day care.
The close quarters and limited maskwearing at the Amazon warehouse made it a dangerous place to work during a pandemic, she said. And the sick pay Amazon did offer was limited.
“They did a lot of planning, but they weren’t planning for us,” she said of Amazon’s new warehouses.
Blouin is just one of many Chicagoland warehouse workers who say large corporations like Amazon are creating hazardous work environments.
At a Tuesday town hall, workers from Amazon and other area facilities called for higher wages and better conditions, saying the warehouses are COVID-19 hot spots, with limited mask-wearing in close quarters. Workers also said they receive little to no training while being charged with operating heavy, dangerous machinery.
“It’s not safe working in the warehouses at Amazon. Period,” said Tionette Pollard, a worker in an Amazon warehouse in Downers Grove.
Roberto Clack, executive director of Warehouse Workers for Justice, said the recent labor shortage may be caused by such harsh conditions.
“Workers are tired of high-demand jobs that pay far too little, with far too few benefits,” Clack said. “Let’s call it what it is. It’s a strike,” he said of the shortage.
Clack also noted Amazon workers’ struggles are occurring against the backdrop of a company that has posted billions in profits this year and is led by a CEO who recently traveled to space.
Amazon workers said they do get breaks, but in the company’s behemoth-sized warehouses, it’s a long walk to the break rooms.
Blouin’s workplace in Matteson is five stories and millions of square feet, with nearly the same interior space as the Willis Tower. Walking to the break room can sometimes be 12 minutes each way, eating up nearly all of a 30-minute break, Blouin said.
The break rooms usually seat about 10 people but are used by upwards of 50 employees at a time, making social distancing impossible, Pollard added.
Blouin said she usually opts to eat lunch on the floor.
In a statement, Amazon spokesperson Barbara Agrait disputed the employees’ claims, saying the company provides competitive wages and ample break times.
“We’ve worked hard from the beginning of the pandemic to keep our employees safe and deliver for our customers — incurring more than $15 billion in costs to date — and we’ll keep doing that in months and years ahead,” she said. “The safety and well-being of our employees is always a top priority.”
Agrait said anyone from the public is welcome to tour the facility and see it for themselves.
In addition to claims of limited social distancing and harsh conditions, workers say warehouse facilities like Amazon’s are cramped and mostly windowless.
“You do feel that you’re in a prison in that warehouse,” said Amazon warehouse worker Abraham Dominguez.
Dominguez said mask-wearing and social distancing are either impossible or never enforced, and that one or two COVID-19 cases are often reported each week in the warehouse.
More than improving working conditions, Dominguez says warehouse workers deserve higher wages.
“We all know Amazon can pay way more than what they’re paying right now,” he said.
“IT’S NOT SAFE WORKING IN THE WAREHOUSES AT AMAZON. PERIOD.” TIONETTE POLLARD, who works at an Amazon warehouse in Downers Grove