new marriage between your post office and amazon - sunday and grocery delivery - makes life Hell

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/new-marriage-between-your-post-office-and-amazon-sunday-and-grocery-delivery-makes-life-hell-workers



“Amazon.com, the e-commerce company based out of Seattle, Washington, has recently partnered up with the USPS to deliver packages on Sundays to its Amazon Prime customers.”

This rather benign sounding statement has been effusively thrown around the media circuit when discussing the arrangement that’s been made between these two organizations; oftentimes praising the USPS’s bravery in its time of embattlement, while also championing the cornering of another market (Sunday delivery) for Amazon.

But wait! There’s something missing from all these announcements! What has been ignored is the reality of what it means for the workers who are implementing this new, surprising arrangement.

See, I am a member of the USPS “underclass” that was created to help pave the way so deals such as Amazon Sunday delivery could be reached. I am a CCA, City Carrier Assistant, with the United States Postal Service. My hope here is to illuminate exactly what Amazon.com and the USPS’s program means for the cadre of employees who share this title; and more importantly what this means to the postal service as a whole.

Prepped for the Auction Floor

[RiverLover]

1. That was a fascinating read.

I had no idea. Thanks for posting

[blkmusclmachine]

2. ,

,

[peacebird]

3. Might explain why my two day priority mail package took four days....

[BlueJazz]

4. Why is it we never see headlines like "Company XXX to join Company YYY. Workers to receive...

....an increase in pay plus better health care and working conditions. Workers tearfully overjoyed!!"

[Triana]

5. I had a package delivered yesterday (Sunday) by USPS from Amazon

And I'm NOT a "Prime" customer. I was totally surprised - thought I had my days mixed up. But - nope. It was a USPS truck and worker who dropped the thing at my front door.

[Ms. Toad]

6. Sorry, but I can't get too excited

about the "underclass" earning around $55,000 a year (starting pay, based on the 60 hours a week complained of with the mandatory 1.5 boost for overtime), for a job that requires nothing beyond a high school diploma.

Welcome to my "hell" - and I have 2 degrees beyond college (one of which is required for my current job - which pays approximately the same as this new "underclass" will be working), I work more hours and don't get time and a half - I don't even get paid a dime more for any hours I put in beyond 40, since I'm on a salary. I clocked 15 hours over the weekend - and will clock that many each weekend between now and May (as well as 10-12 hour days every week day) - then I'll drop back to 40 hours a week.

If this new marriage is creating additional $15 an hour jobs, that sounds like a good thing to me.

[NaturalHigh]

7. Kicking to read later.

[jeff47]

8. Yes, $15/hr with overtime pay is utterly terrible.

Signing one’s life away for $15 per hour is not something which most people are willing to do.

I'd like the author to say that to a big box retailer's employee, just to see the reaction.

[catnhatnh]

9. Boy-all the other crabs...

...are really pissed that this one is trying to climb out of the pot.