Fedex answers Amazon’s claim
Amazon says delivery drivers urinating in bottles during their shifts is “an industry-wide issue” and is highlighting comments about Fedex, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service doing the same.
In a blog post April 2, Amazon said, “we know that drivers can and do have trouble finding restrooms because of traffic or sometimes rural routes, and this has been especially the case during COVID-19 when many public restrooms have been closed. … This is a long-standing, industry-wide issue and is not specific to Amazon.”
The post also embedded tweets that said urine bottles also occurs for drivers at Fedex, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service.
Similar statements have been made on other social media platforms and forums, including users in Fedex-specific groups, beyond what Amazon shared. Some drivers say finding a bathroom can take up too much time during a busy shift or is hard to find on rural delivery routes.
“Fedex promotes a working environment that enables couriers and service providers to operate safely and professionally while on the road,” the company said in a statement. “We encourage team members and service providers to provide input on ways to improve their experience, and notification channels are in place to address
concerns.”
A large portion of Fedex drivers are employees of independent service providers contracted by Fedex Ground to make deliveries. Volume has surged for Fedex Ground amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, UPS said its drivers have “ample time and resources” for restroom use.
“We time study and plan all our routes with ample time for our drivers to use restrooms, and we train our drivers on those routes so they know where bathroom facilities are located that they can use,” UPS said.
The U.S. Postal Service did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Amazon’s blog post walked back a tweet posted on Amazon News’ Twitter account in March, which cast doubt on the issue of Amazon workers peeing in bottles.
“You don’t really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you? If that were true, nobody would work for us,” the Amazon News account posted March 24.
Amazon said April 2 that the tweet “was incorrect.” But the post also linked to several articles related to the issue, including a Fox Business article with the headline, “EX-UPS driver says Amazon’s pee-in-water-bottles problem isn’t unique.”