Amazon has done some pretty interesting things in terms of speedy delivery. Customers have been able to receive packages within two days with Amazon Prime for the longest time. Now, Amazon Prime Now kicks things into high gear, delivering packages in two hours. While this service is wonderful for those receiving their package, it appears that it may not be so wonderful for those actually delivering the packages.
Recently a lawsuit was filed against Amazon that claims the company isn’t paying their delivery workers in full. There are four named plaintiffs and they are seeking class action status. The plaintiffs claim that while they are considered contract workers, Amazon controls pretty much all aspects of their work. Drivers are not able to reject work assignments and they also cannot ask to have their deliveries restricted to a specific geographical area.
On top of that, when you take into account the amount of money each driver has to pay for tolls, maintenance, gas and other expenses, they end up earning less than the state-mandated minimum wage. While this lawsuit comes out of California, it may be interesting to those in New York because Amazon Prime Now has already launched in our state as well.
The plaintiffs say that if they do not follow Amazon’s instructions or rules, they can be disciplined or even terminated. The lawsuit claims they are being denied mileage reimbursement, overtime pay, and workers’ compensation benefits.
It will be interesting to see if the court allows the lawsuit to proceed as a class-action lawsuit.