They were sacrificed for the sake of the profit margin.

[Ludwika]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/16/tornado-amazon-kentucky-candle-factory-workers-died?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

 

"Offered up to the gods we actually worship".

What an indictment of the corporate world! Modern day slavery is alive and well.

 

Sent from my CPH2021 using Tapatalk

 

 

[Sheep]

I wonder what Amazon is going to say in response to this opinion article. Please keep us posted if you see anything.

[Ludwika]

" Lessons will be learnt" is the usual meaningless response. And it means exactly nothing.

[IcemanEli]

Frankly, not unusual. Throughout history, especially in these last days, there have always been businesses and merchants who ruthlessly endanger people’s lives by disregarding safety, for the sake of mere profit.

Another truly disgusting by-product of this greedy commercial system.

In so-called Third World countries (Mexico, Bangladesh, Mozambique, etc.) millions work long hours under extremely dangerous conditions for fear of losing their jobs (onerously low-paying as they are).

King Solomon was right when he said:

“Again I turned my attention to all the acts of oppression that go on under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and there was no one to comfort them. And their oppressors had the power, and there was no one to comfort them.” (Ecclesiastes 4:1)

As sad as those deaths were, I cannot say I’m surprised that happened.

[Qapla]

It's sad so many needlessly died - especially if leaving work and heading to their house (or another place) was a safer place to be than where they were. Had they left, would they be alive, or would they have been killed in the tornado anyway ... we will never know.

 

I did not finish reading the article because it was a little too political for my taste  

 

 

[Cushi]

3 hours ago, Qapla said:

It's sad so many needlessly died - especially if leaving work and heading to their house (or another place) was a safer place to be than where they were. Had they left, would they be alive, or would they have been killed in the tornado anyway ... we will never know.

 

I did not finish reading the article because it was a little too political for my taste  

 

 

That reminds me of when I had a warehouse job back in 2012. I left for my lunch break to go home like I usually do and found out when I got home a tornado was tearing things up and tossing 18 wheelers around like they were toys. I remember going outside my apartment and seeing a woman looking at the sky holding her rosary beads while crying and praying. 
 

I went back to work in time because the tornado sirens had gone off. When I walked in the break room the meteorologist said the tornado was forming near Isuzu in Grand Prairie. My job is on Isuzu in Grand Prairie! We all went outside and could see the tornado slowly forming and about to touch down. I had seconds to make a decision. Would I go back inside and shelter in place or would I get in my car and leave? The tornado was forming less that 400 ft from my job. 
When I thought about all the electric pallet jacks, cherry pickers, forklifts, industrial fans, manual pallet jacks and the hundreds of metal racks inside the warehouse, I decided to leave because I couldn’t see myself surviving if the tornado ripped apart the building. 
 

I got in my car and drove as fast as I could toward the freeway. My apartment was on the third story so I decided to go to my mom’s house. I waited about an hour and then called my job to see if anyone would pick up and if they were ok. They said the tornado vanished after I left and never touched down. I was never disciplined for leaving.

 

I was especially scared because I was inactive at the time and didn’t want to die in the state I was in. A lot of us, including myself had their front or back windshields shattered because a strong wind from the tornado blew some stones the were on the warehouse roof off and hit our cars. I noticed my rear windshield was shattered when I went to my car to leave. Didn’t care though. I was happy to be alive! 

[Tortuga]

1 hour ago, *Jack* said:

They said the tornado vanished after I left

Should we call you Jonah?

[boodles]

My understanding is that the workers were sheltering in the restroom area. I don't know if it was large enough to accommodate them all, but that was probably the safest place they could have been. They probably don't have storm shelters at home, and it's not a good idea to be driving when a tornado warning is in effect. It's very easy to be caught in traffic and a car isn't a shelter. 

[Cushi]

12 hours ago, boodles said:

They probably don't have storm shelters at home, and it's not a good idea to be driving when a tornado warning is in effect. It's very easy to be caught in traffic and a car isn't a shelter. 

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a tornado in person but that can be easier said than done. In my case, the tornado was so close to my job that I was almost certain it was gonna destroy the building if it touched down. The only reason I left was because the warehouse was a very unsafe place to be because of all the stoves, dishwashers, dryers and other appliances and machine equipment. I decided leaving and chancing dying would be better than to face almost certain death. All other times I faced things like this I just sheltered in place.

[boodles]

7 hours ago, *Jack* said:

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a tornado in person but that can be easier said than done. In my case, the tornado was so close to my job that I was almost certain it was gonna destroy the building if it touched down. The only reason I left was because the warehouse was a very unsafe place to be because of all the stoves, dishwashers, dryers and other appliances and machine equipment. I decided leaving and chancing dying would be better than to face almost certain death. All other times I faced things like this I just sheltered in place.

It's been a while since I lived in Alabama but I did experience tornado warnings and being stuck on the road while the sirens were going off. I never saw a tornado, though. Glad you made it through!

[rocket]

It seems to me to be a simple solution for the safety of it's employees to have large restrooms with poured in place reinforced concrete walls and ceilings that could withstand a concrete tiltup wall and steel roof falling on it.  Hindsight is always 20/20.

[Sheep]

Funny. I found a "statement" from Amazon that mentions the work they're doing to help employees and others affected by the tornadoes. But it doesn't say anything about the claims that they forced workers to stay at the warehouse. Why would they not respond to those claims?

 

Another funny thing: At the end of that statement, it asks "Based on this article, how do you view Amazon?" It looks like it wants you to base your evaluation on "this article" only, as though it doesn't want you to include other news stories, such as the one in the OP.