Amazon Offers Big Pay Raises; but is facing significant revolt over the RTO mandate

Amazon Offers Big Pay Raises; but is facing significant revolt over the RTO mandate

Amazon is making surprisingly significant pay increases for all of its employees

It might have caused resentment lately when employees were asked to return to the office five days a week, but e-commerce giant Amazon last week announced significant pay increases for all of its employees – especially those who are not who work there fulfillment And transport sectors. The latest increase – which takes effect from this month – should see the worker’s average base wage rise to around $21.50 to $22 per hour (depending on their role) – representing a wage increase of $1.50 -dollars per hour. All told, the average total compensation package (including benefits) for many of its workers will rise to over $29 per hour. For full-time employees, this means an additional $3,000 per year. As new advantageAmazon announced that workers would receive free Amazon Prime Memberships starting in Early 2025. Udit Madan comments on the increase, The vice president of Amazon Worldwide Operations said in a statement: “We are making one significant new investment in pay and benefits for our hourly frontline employees. This is part of one Annual process Here, we review our wages and benefits to ensure they remain competitive – and in many cases industry-leading.” Amazon has a history of increasing wages and improving employee benefits. In 2018 the starting wage was increased to $15 per hour; more than double The Federal minimum wage at the time. Since then, the company has continued to increase salaries every year.

…since three-quarters of Amazon workers are considering quitting due to office RTO

But are the wage increases coming too late? While some may have been expecting news that some Amazon workers are now considering quitting due to the recent order to return to the office five days a week, new data suggests that the sheer number of employees doing so is enormous. A new survey suggests almost three quarters (73%) of employees now say they are considering quitting due to the move, and many are reportedly already actively looking for a new job. The survey conducted by Blind shows that more than 90% of Amazon employees oppose the new in-office requirement and that the RTO rule is the reason applicants are also reportedly opting out of Amazon’s recruiting process. Applicants are reportedly turning down offers particularly due to the RTO mandate, with the majority of applicants reluctant to give up their freedom as many are already working remotely. Times Now News reports: “It’s unclear whether Amazon will change its policies in response to the complaints, but if it continues with its current approach, it could lose talented employees.” Amazon is now increasingly out of balance with many other technology companies. Separate research suggests that only 3% of IT companies require full-time office presence – largely due to employee reluctance.

Dock workers’ strike threatens global supply chains

Thousands of Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) members went on strike this week affecting all ports from Maine to Texas – which account for 43-49% of all US imports. Affected ports include Boston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Mobile and Houston. The strike began after the contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) expired on Tuesday morning and a final salary offer worth 50% over six years fell through. Late Monday evening, USMX had offered a deal that would increase wages by nearly 50% over six years, including tripling employer contributions to employee retirement plans, strengthening health care options and a plan to “maintain the current language around Automation and semi-automation”. .” However, no agreement could be reached with the ILS when the clock struck midnight. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said: “It is critical for USMX and the ILA to quickly reach a fair agreement that respects workers and ensures trade flows through our ports.” The Conference Board, a U.S. American think tank said on Monday that a week-long strike would cost the US economy $3.78 billion, or about $540 million a day, by closing vehicle and container terminals at 36 ports. The ILA is the largest maritime union in North America and this is its first strike action since 1977.

Oklahoma-based Apple employees are the second to ratify the contract

Apple retail employees at the Penn Square Mall store have voted to ratify their first collective bargaining agreement, becoming the second U.S. store to win a union contract. Working with Communications Workers of America Local 6016, workers received a new three-year employment contract with the multi-billion dollar corporation that improved pay, work-life balance and working conditions. The deal means unionized workers will get an average pay increase of 10% over the next three years, based on reviews and employee performance. Next year wages will rise by 4%. In the next two years it will increase by 3%. This means employees could receive a pay rise of up to 11.5% over the next three years. The new contract also provides availability guidelines for scheduling time off to address work-life balance difficulties. In addition, it was agreed that two Apple representatives and two union representatives would meet twice a year to review employee-employer relations. Apple spokeswoman Sharon Gilson said: “At Apple, we work hard to provide an outstanding experience for our team members and our customers.” We have consistently paid our retail teams at the highest levels in the market and offer exceptional benefits for all full- and part-time employees. We have negotiated in good faith throughout this process, and this agreement allows Penn Square team members to enjoy similar performance-based pay increases this year as they did last year, along with the same sick and vacation benefits that our U.S. Retail employees currently receiving.”

Workers are more optimistic about AI

In a reversal of the widely accepted norm that those with lower academic success have the most to worry about AI taking their jobs, new research from MIT suggests that workers “without” college degrees are more optimistic about artificial intelligence. The study found that 27.4% of workers without a college degree felt automation had a positive impact on their job security, compared to 23.7% of workers with a college degree. This finding was also repeated at the ethnic level: According to survey data, 38% of Black workers without a college degree believed that automation had a positive impact on job security, compared to 34% of Black workers with a college degree. Researchers have suggested that the counterintuitive nature of the results could be explained by the fact that workers without college degrees “are aware that replacing workers with automation is actually quite difficult and so they are not worried. MIT also posits that these workers may also associate the adoption of new technologies with “growth prospects for a company” that make them feel more secure. The study examined workers’ perceived impacts of automation across five categories: safety and comfort, pay, autonomy, upward mobility and job security. U.S. workers were the only ones to report a net negative impact of automation in any category, both in terms of job security and pay. Overall, workers in roles that they perceived as requiring complex problem-solving or new ideas tended to be more positive about automation.

DOL Sues Security Firm for Misclassifying Guards as Independent Contractors

In another case involving whether certain workers are classified as “employees” (with all the associated workplace protections) or “independent contractors” (which provide virtually no protection), the Department of Labor (DOL) is suing San Juan- Resident security services company Optimus Service Group LLC and its boss Jorge Rivera Berrios for alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The complaint alleges that the employers intentionally misclassified at least 254 current and former security guards as independent contractors, failed to pay required overtime rates, and failed to create, maintain, and maintain complete and accurate records of employees’ wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. The lawsuit, filed by the department’s law firm, seeks back wages, liquidated damages and injunctive relief to prevent ongoing and future violations. Jose Vazquez-Fernandez, District Director of the Wage and Hour Division, commented on the filing: “This is not the first time that Jorge Rivera has misclassified Berrio’s security personnel as independent contractors. He and his company, Optimus Service Group LLC, must be held accountable for failing to pay workers their legally deserved wages by misclassifying hundreds of security guards as independent contractors rather than employees.”

The best workplaces for mental wellbeing revealed

Newsweeks opening “The best workplaces for mental well-being” was announced, with companies including ADP, Bright Horizons, Compass Group, Mercer, Pappas Restaurants and Robert Half achieving the top grade. The list names the top 750 U.S. employers that have a positive impact on the mental well-being of their employees. It is based on evaluations of public data, feedback from HR leaders in companies with more than 1,000 employees and an anonymized panel of HR experts to identify drivers of employee satisfaction, as well as large-scale confidential online surveys of more than 250,000 employees USA work companies. A research phase was also conducted by corporate data specialist PrivCo to examine seven KPIs related to mental wellbeing, including a range of corporate mental health programs and social media assessments of work-life balance. Only one of the companies that received the grade was Mediacom. Commenting on the inclusion on the list, Italia Commisso Weinand, Executive Vice President of Programming and Human Resources at Mediacom, said: “I am extremely proud that we have created a work culture that puts the needs of our employees first.” The Corporate initiatives we have implemented have resulted in a significant increase in overall employee satisfaction, including mental health.”