Outside an Amazon warehouse in Massachusetts.
Ben Fox Rubin/CNET
Many consumers may be cheering Amazon’s plans to turn its Prime two-day shipping perk into just one-day deliveries. But not everyone is thrilled with this plan.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a union that’s long complained about the working conditions at Amazon warehouses, said Friday it’s worried faster shipping will force warehouse workers to move even faster.
Here’s the full statement released Friday from RWDSU president Stuart Appelbaum:
With two-day Prime shipping, Amazon fulfillment workers currently face speeds of 200-300 orders per hour in 12-hour shifts. They struggle already to maintain that pace. If Amazon plans to effectively double the speed, it must also address existing workforce needs and ensure its workers are safe. Increasing fulfillment speeds means they need to hire more workers, under more sustainable speeds that don’t put worker’s lives in jeopardy.