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‘Not your grandfather’s warehouse:’ Activist says Amazon employees overwhelmed amid OSHA inspections

OSHA announced investigations into possible safety hazards at Amazon warehouses

ORLANDO, Fla. – There are still more questions than answers days after federal investigators inspected an Orlando Amazon facility.

The District Attorney’s Office of Southern New York confirmed the inspection was related to an investigation of potential unsafe conditions for employees and underreporting staff injuries.

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A spokesperson for Amazon released a statement earlier this week, saying Amazon plans to “cooperate with the OSHA investigation” while also saying the claims against them are “unfounded.”

After forming an Amazon union in Washington state in 2000, Marcus Courtney continues to advocate for better employee working conditions.

“What we are hearing most recently are reports of workers fearing literally for their life inside the warehouses due to the pace of work,” Courtney said. “This is not your grandfather’s warehouse anymore. These are highly sophisticated enterprises. They are using AI technology, and they have deployed robots on the factory floor to reduce the need for human labor.”

Federal investigators said they are also looking into time constraints and pressure put on employees as a standard of the amount of time needed to box a shipment for delivery.

Courtney also said Amazon should welcome employee bargaining groups.

“This isn’t, like, a thing against Amazon. They are not saying that they don’t like Amazon as a company. They are like, ‘We really want to work at Amazon. We felt it was a brand and company where we could get opportunities,’” Courtney said.

Federal investigators have not given a timeline for their investigation and when their findings will be made public.

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