FLOOR PROPOSAL

RESOLVED: Shareholders of Amazon.com request that the company end the use of productivity quotas and worker surveillance across its warehouse facilities and distribution network, including, but not limited to the policies commonly known as Rate and Time off Task. These policies are to be ended for all Amazon employees, including drivers for Delivery Service Partners and other third-party contractor employees by August 31, 2022.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

My name is Daniel Olayiwola and I work at Amazon’s SAT4 fulfillment center in San Antonio. Every year, thousands of Amazon employees, like me, are injured on the job. Whether you’re a driver, a picker, a stower, when you work for Amazon you put your health and safety on the line every single shift.

Recently, researchers and investigators have confirmed what workers have been saying: Amazon’s high injury rates are linked to the company’s workplace productivity quotas and surveillance practices.1 Whether called Rate and Time Off Task or going by another name, Amazon workers across its distribution network are subject to policies that set the pace of work and monitor employees to ensure they meet that pace. When you’re rushing to make rate or when you’re worried that pausing to catch your breath could lose you your job, you’re forced to prioritize speed over safety..

OSHA records have shown Amazon’s workplace injury rates to be well above the national and industry averages, and not only are these injuries more frequent than at other workplaces, they’re more severe as well.2 3 Amazon’s injury rates are even higher when you look at its most automated facilities or during “peak”, typically the company’s most profitable season.4 5

The workplace injury crisis at Amazon has gotten so severe that it has drawn the attention of Federal elected officials, regulators, state legislators, and the broader public.6 7 8 Amazon itself has even acknowledged the problem of workplace injuries, and Jeff Bezos committed the company to being the “Earth’s Safest Place to Work.”9 Despite this, workers at Amazon have seen few improvements or real changes.

Amazon’s practices take a toll on Amazon employees, but apart from that, there are serious questions whether current practices are sustainable over the long term, thus raising questions about whether these practices contribute to long-term shareholder value.

In order to ensure the health of its employees, to meet its commitment to being the “Earth’s Safest Place to Work”, and to promote long-term shareholder value, Amazon must end its use of productivity metrics and workplace surveillance.

1  https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/20787752/amazon-dupont-citation-and-notice-may-2021.pdf

2  https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/06/01/amazon-osha-injury-rate/

3  https://thesoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/PrimedForPain.pdf

4  https://thesoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/PrimedForPain.pdf

5  https://revealnews.org/article/how-amazon-hid-its-safety-crisis/

6  https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/6772867/AmazonWorkerSafetyLetterFeb72020.pd

7 https://www.seattletimes.com/business/because-of-injury-claims-state-wants-amazons-automated-wareho uses-to-pay-higher-workers-comp-premiums-than-meatpacking-or-logging-operations/

8 https://www.protocol.com/workplace/amazon-warehouse-quota-bill-washington

9 https://s2.q4cdn.com/299287126/files/doc_financials/2021/ar/Amazon-2020-Annual-Report.pdf