Is the Amazon warehouse open for business?
Status of fulfilment centre on Upper James Street and Dickenson Road West is unclear
From the outside, the new Amazon fulfilment centre on Upper James Street and Dickenson Road West looks mostly complete, with cars in the parking lot and a sign that says they’re hiring hanging on the front of the building.
What’s actually happening inside is unknown, though.
Amazon told The Spectator last summer the fulfilment centre would bring more than 1,500 jobs to the city — a boost after nearly 18,000 jobs were lost during the beginning months of the pandemic — but it’s unclear how many positions they’re looking to fill now.
Neither the developer of the warehouse, Panattoni Development Company, nor the City of Hamilton provided comments on what is happening inside or how far along construction is.
Both parties directed The Spectator to Amazon directly, but despite days of trying, Amazon did not respond to multiple requests to discuss the happenings at the fulfilment centre.
Panattoni previously told The Spectator construction for the warehouse was expected to be completed in August of this year, with the rest of the development occurring in stages.
Job postings for the Hamilton centre on Indeed’s job board vary, including human resources, operations managers and on-site medical representatives.
Previous postings for general warehouse workers have since been removed.
As for compensation, hourly employees should expect to earn between $17 an hour to $21.65 an hour for folks with more experience.
Amazon’s performance-based bonus system has been scrapped in favour of a wage increase, with existing employees slated to receive an additional $1.60 to $2.20 per hour instead.
COVID-19 safety measures at the Hamilton warehouse are unknown, but the company previously said it invested $45 million in safety measures against COVID-19.
Amazon has not mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for employees, but it is offering a $100 bonus for new and current employees who show proof of vaccination.
Amazon Canada aims to hire 15,000 new warehouse and distribution workers across the country this fall.