Controls at Amazon: The manager sees everything. Amazon saves everything

dossier

"...Amazon constantly monitors the performance of the workers. And this is how the performance monitoring program works: The Amazon employee scans every part that he stores, selects or packs into a package. This scanning process is recorded down to the second and displayed to a foreman. This means he can monitor every step of the employees' work and see whether a particular worker is packing enough packages to meet the average rate. He can also see on his display if someone doesn't work for a few minutes. If things aren't going fast enough overall, the system takes action Foremen (…) The workers are obviously compared on this basis. Although there is officially no piecework, there is actually strong pressure to process as many packages as possible (…) The result: a continuously increasing average rate, which the employees have to orientate themselves towards, may be too slow tomorrow - and thus face extinction. Contribution by Sebastian Friedrich and Johannes Jolmes from October 15, 2020 at tagesschau.de from the Panorama broadcast on October 15, 2020, see both regarding the workers and the customers:

• [Internal company documents from Canada] Amazon uses AI to spy on its employees and bust unions before they form
  “Internal company documents obtained by a Canadian labor regulator show how Amazon tracks its employees' every move.
  The 18th-century idea of ​​the panopticon — a circular prison structure with a guard post in the middle that allows a single officer to ensure discipline by monitoring all prisoners — has become a reality in the 21st century through AI-driven surveillance of workers: It's the Amazon warehouse.
  It should come as no surprise that the company that used technology to build a massive $2.7 trillion empire is using the same sophistication to enforce workplace discipline and nip burgeoning unionization efforts in the bud. A recent release of Amazon's internal "employee relations" documents reveals just how extreme Amazon's methods of inventory monitoring and control have become.
  Amazon uses the so-called “Atlas” model, in which an almost unimaginable amount of information about employees, their thoughts and behavior, the work environment and countless other factors is fed into a computer-based model – according to the company, “hundreds of data points”. Atlas not only provides a detailed measurement of current workforce unrest, site by site worldwide, but also a predictive model for future union organizing efforts. It's like the "precrime" police in the movie "Minority Report," who use psychic powers to identify and apprehend potential criminals before they strike—except in this case, it's an AI-powered tool used by the billionaire owners of one of the richest companies in history to nip rebellions among their low-wage workers in the bud. And this isn't Tom Cruise acting; it is very real.
  Workers everywhere who have endured anti-union campaigns can relate to stories of excessive management surveillance; However, the “Atlas” model takes this monitoring to a whole new level.
  Details of the “Atlas” model recently emerged as a result of a legal dispute between Amazon and Unifor, the Canadian private sector union. (…) This battle is still ongoing, but as a result of the court case, Amazon was obliged to hand over documents to the labor inspectorate and to Unifor. Unifor shared these documents with Truthout;they can be viewed here become…” EnglishArticle by Jonathan Rosenblum from September 30, 2026 on Truthout (“Amazon Is Deploying AI to Spy on Its Workers and Bust Unions Before They Form”, machine translated) and about it:
  • Amazon uses AI surveillance to hunt down possible labor disputes"Amazon is increasingly using artificial intelligence to monitor its own employees. The focus is on an AI system that is intended to detect and predict possible unrest and union activity at Amazon locations. Research by the news portal Truthout shows how Amazon uses artificial intelligence to monitor its employees. New documents from a labor law case in Canada have revealed how comprehensively Amazon analyzes the mood and behavior of its employees. At the center is the internal AI system "Atlas", which contains hundreds of data points including workplace accidents, turnover, complaints, management reviews, economic conditions and posts on internal platforms. Public discussions, for example on Reddit, are also included in the analysis. The prediction function is particularly explosive: Atlas assigns so-called “labor scores” for individual Amazon locations and ranks them according to the expected risk of labor disputes or union activities. In 2024, 16 locations were in the highest risk category. The system also analyzes which topics are worsening the mood and where negative trends are increasing. At particularly vulnerable locations, so-called “rapid response” teams can be deployed to take action against union organizing. The information came to light in connection with a labor dispute at the Amazon YVR2 location near Vancouver. There, the Canadian union Unifor had achieved recognition as a workers' representative. After further legal disputes, the responsible labor authority even ordered arbitration of the first collective agreement in August.As part of the process, Amazon had to disclose internal documents, including the description of Atlas and more than 100 pages on training managers on dealing with union activities. (…) As early as 2021, Amazon in the USA implemented the monitoring of suppliers using camera surveillance and AI-supported evaluation. Just a year later, an AI decided who would keep their job and who would be fired. (…) Amazon is repeatedly criticized for systematically undermining occupational safety laws. (…) In Germany, AI like Palantir is not only used for monitoring in the workplace. It is being used more and more frequently by police authorities and secret services to monitor the population...” Post from October 4, 2026 from Perspective Online 
  • See also:
    • “Amazon delivery drivers’ smart glasses reportedly take photos “almost continuously”” currently in the dossier:Amazon monitors where it can – everything and everyone. Customers, users, suppliers, third parties…
    • Regarding the situation in Canada mentioned, the dossier:Unions in Canada launch organizing campaign at Amazon, starting in Nisku, Alberta
• Office attendance: Amazon monitors employees with new attendance board 
  “Amazon managers can now see who is in the office and for how long at the touch of a button. The company categorizes employees based on their behavior.
  Amazon has launched a new monitoring system that gives managers detailed insight into their teams' office presence. The dashboard, which was rolled out in December, not only records whether employees come to the office, but also how long they stay and which locations they use and howBusiness Insider reports .
  The system updates daily at 5 p.m. and analyzes patterns over an eight-week window. Employees are divided into three categories: “Low-Time Badgers” spend less than four hours a day in the office, “Zero Badgers” do not log in at all for eight weeks, and “Unassigned Building Badgers” predominantly use locations other than those assigned to them.
  Five-day attendance requirements are strictly controlled
  Last year, Amazon introduced one of the strictest return-to-office regulations in the tech sector: most employees must be on site five days a week. A company spokesperson emphasized that similar tools have been available for more than a year to identify those employees who need, as the euphemism puts it, “assistance with office presence.” (…)
  Amazon began collecting individual attendance data in 2023. In 2024, the company cracked down on “coffee badging,” short office visits just to check in, by requiring certain teams to stay at least two to six hours for their presence to count…”Article by Andreas Donath from January 10, 2026 in Golem
• Christy Hoffman (UNI) on grueling working conditions and collective bargaining in Germany: “Amazon practices almost total surveillance”
  The Secretary General of UNI Global Union, Christy Hoffman inInterview by Christy Hoffman from October 10, 2024 at JPG-Journal online (in the translation by Ina Goertz) about illegal tactics of the US corporation, grueling working conditions and collective bargaining in Germany:"The fight for better working conditions at Amazon - higher wages, workplace safety and an end to the unrelenting stress - is being waged around the world. In fact, we have seen a huge increase in activity by workers and unions in the last five years. In addition, awareness has increased throughout civil society that inhumane conditions arise when Amazon operates in a city. (...) But although Amazon workers are fighting with all means for the right to union representation, there are far too few of them covered by collective agreements. In Canada, the Unifor union has won the right for Amazon workers in British Colombia to vote on joining the union and is fighting the company's anti-union campaign. The Confédération des syndicats nationaux in Quebec won the union recognition election and represents 200 Amazon workers - here too after a difficult campaign. In Great Britain, the GMB union and Amazon workers are opposing the brutal campaign The company is fighting to suppress the union. In Germany, the mobilization campaign continues, but collective bargaining still seems a long way off. In India, Amazon workers are demanding wage increases and better working conditions. In France and Italy, where there are industry collective agreements, employees were able to achieve better working conditions through strikes and protests. In Italy, an agreement was even reached with the unions.In short, continued efforts and continued solidarity have led to better conditions in some areas. But Amazon's anti-worker policies show that we must continue to support union organizing and also expose Amazon's labor rights violations. (…) Amazon operates almost total surveillance. This, combined with sophisticated algorithmic management tools, allows the company to monitor, pressure and, at times, discipline its employees. Amazon is a leader in developing these sophisticated tools, which have been nicknamed “Bossware” and are also being adopted by many other companies. This is the top issue in most workplaces and the unions want to counteract it with various demands. Many countries are considering legal action to limit surveillance and the pressure that comes with it. Several US states have already passed laws protecting warehouse workers to ensure that these workers can take their breaks. Many workplace health and safety regulators have already stepped in and are insisting that Amazon address the physical and psychological harm caused by their brutal system. Some works councils have already succeeded in reducing the daily quotas required somewhat. And ideally, workers would be able to collectively bargain to set their working conditions and enforce health and safety rules without fear of retaliation.(…) Bringing Amazon to the negotiating table requires continued pressure from ver.di combined with broader support from the public, politicians and regulators. I am confident that the employees in Germany will be successful in their efforts.”
• More than 20 unions from 11 European countries are calling on data protection authorities to stop Amazon's invasive surveillance
  “In an unprecedented move, more than 20 leaders of major unions across Europe, representing more than eight million workers, are calling on European data protection authorities to step up oversight of Amazon's abusive - potentially illegal - data surveillance practices. This collective initiative underscores growing concerns about the impact of Amazon's practices on workers' rights and workplace safety.
  Union leaders from 11 European countries where Amazon's warehouse and delivery operations employ significant numbers of workers are sounding the alarm about the company's pervasive surveillance and algorithmic management. These invasive measures include the extensive use of handheld scanners, activity monitoring software, video cameras, GPS devices and other tracking technologies. Recent research has shown that this surveillance has serious consequences for workers' mental and physical health.
  The union leaders referred to the recent regulatory actions, citing the decision of the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) of December 27, 2023, which found that Amazon France Logistique violated several principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The CNIL imposed a significant fine of 32 million euros for setting up an “overly intrusive system” to monitor employee activities and performance, as well as penalties for inadequate video surveillance protocols.
  "We call on you, the European data protection authorities, to follow France's example and investigate the legality of Amazon's use of workers' data and take measures to stop practices that violate the law. We ask you to ensure that Amazon complies with European legislation that protects workers' fundamental rights and freedoms, including the protection of privacy and control over their data," the signatories wrote in a letter submitted to data protection authorities across the EU.
  This is not Amazon's first confrontation with European data protection laws. In 2021, the Luxembourg Data Protection Authority fined the company €746 million for similar surveillance practices affecting European consumers, which at the time was the largest fine in the law's history.
  The unions are calling on all European data protection authorities to emulate France's proactive stance by investigating the legality of Amazon's surveillance tactics and taking measures to curb unlawful activity. Their appeal highlights the need for Amazon to comply with European legislation protecting workers' fundamental rights, including privacy and data control.Union leaders committed to working with European authorities to enforce Amazon workers' data rights, sending a clear message that excessive surveillance in the workplace is unacceptable and will be challenged…” EnglishReport from UNI Europa dated May 7, 2024 (machine translated)
• [Oxfam study] Big Brother is watching Amazon and Walmart warehouse workers in the USA
  “Both Amazon and Walmart are investing heavily in highly invasive technological surveillance of their warehouse workers—surveillance that then enables the over-exploitation of both companies' workers.
  Last monthThe New York Times published an article with the headline “Walmart Wants to Teach Compassion to Store Managers.” The article is about the company's “Manager Academy,” a manager training program that began in July 2022; There is shockingly little discussion of the company's notorious anti-worker practices.At the time, I criticized the article's numerous omissions and pointed out some of the many problems Walmart has with workers across its global supply chain that are not covered much in the Times' coverage. The company employs an enormous number of people in its warehouses; Amazon's warehouse workers have received the most attention lately from those concerned with worker rights and safety, particularly with regard to worker surveillance technology, of which Amazon is a pioneer. However, a new report from Oxfam shows that Walmart warehouse workers are struggling with the same problems as their colleagues.
  “At Work and Under Watch: Surveillance and suffering at Amazon and Walmart warehouses” examines both Amazon and Walmart.Walmart is the largest private employer in the United States, with 1.6 million employees, while Amazon employs 1.1 million workers (although that number does not include the legions of drivers who are not considered Amazon employees). Although much attention has been paid to the exploitation of workers at Walmart's 4,616 stores, less has been reported about the warehouse workers who remain crucial to the company's operations and how surveillance fits into the Walmart model.That should change: after all, the working practices of the two companies are closely linked. Shortly after Jeff Bezos founded Amazon, he began poaching Walmart executives, hoping to build on the older company's cheap labor and high-volume logistics operations. The first was Rick Dalzell, a Walmart IT executive who led the company's data warehousing initiatives; Bezos made him Amazon's first chief information officer. Robert Davis, a key architect of Walmart's fledgling e-commerce business, moved to Amazon. (…)
  “They know exactly... when you're working and when you're not,” a Walmart warehouse worker in California told researchers. An Amazon employee in North Carolina compares the experience to “Squid game“from Netflix: "Every three days first responders are called to [our] facility. And when I say it's like [Squid Game], you see co-workers, you see friends, some workers have relatives, you see relatives fainting, being carried out of their facility on stretchers." If you get injured, explains a Walmart employee in California, "it's almost always your fault. Management wouldn't negotiate with you about it at all. They would be penalized because they think you're working unsafely and ignore all other possible reasons for your injury."
  A larger share of both Amazon and Walmart workers say the speed at which they work is measured in detail by company technology all or most of the time: 72 percent of Amazon workers and 67 percent of Walmart workers, compared to 58 percent of workers in another 2023 survey that looked at the entire warehouse industry. Similarly, 77 percent of Amazon employees and 62 percent of Walmart employees say technology can always or most of the time detect whether they are actively engaged in their work. That’s 47 percent of the workforce in the industry as a whole.This level of surveillance is not just about control, but rather the basis for relentless acceleration. Three-quarters of Amazon workers and 74 percent of Walmart workers say they feel pressured to work faster at least some of the time, and more than half of workers at both companies report that production rates make it difficult for them to go to the bathroom at least some of the time.
  Female workers at Walmart were significantly more likely to be concerned about whether they could keep up with the pace of production without jeopardizing their health and safety, echoing previous findingsReports reported that some female warehouse workers at Amazon are developing urinary tract infections as a result of time constraints that prevent them from using the toilet. (Women at both companies are also significantly more likely to report severe pain in all areas of the body than men; on Amazon, Latina women report the highest injury rates).About half of employees at both companies say they feel burned out by their work. Even more surprising, however, is that 41 percent of Amazon employees report experiencing some form of dehydration in the last three months, while 91 percent of Walmart employees reported being dehydrated. This alarming statistic suggests that Walmart's break policies and the availability of water in the company's warehouses have unfortunate and dangerous flaws.
  All of this surveillance hinders the collective organizing that could begin to correct the super-exploitation faced by Amazon and Walmart workers. Almost half of employees at both companies say they “speak to [their] colleagues less than they want because they fear being monitored.” A Walmart worker in California told Oxfam: "Occasionally you can talk to people, but it's really discouraged because if you spend too much time talking, it's at the expense of productivity." (…)
  To eliminate such dangerous working conditions, workers must join hands with both companies. But both Amazon and Walmart spend fortunes on anti-union consultants and fight labor unionization as ruthlessly as they fight for control of the retail market. While elected officials in some states have passed laws shaped by warehouse workers' concerns about unsustainable productivity rates, retailers have fought such regulations.
  There are other legislative solutions to clear this morass: The passage of thePRO Act to increase penalties for employers who violate workers' rights and to make it easier to form unions; the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury and Fatality Prevention Act, which would protect workers from excessive heat in the workplace; Draft legislation to protect workers from invasive surveillance technology and to establish comprehensive paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave applicable to all workers; and increased funding for federal agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
  But few of these measures are adequately supported by elected officials, who are more concerned with pleasing Amazon and Walmart lobbyists than with the health and safety of their supposed constituents. Achieving such changes will require much more sustained organizing in both companies and the united support of the union movement.
  "You just have to understand that ... behind the packages that come to your door is not only a truly exploited worker, but that it doesn't have to be that way," says an Amazon worker in Massachusetts. Another puts it this way: "I feel like we're living through a golden age where these people are getting so rich and consuming so much wealth, and what you're seeing is that none of that wealth is being passed on to the people who created it.".”“ EnglishArticle by Alex N. Press from April 11, 2024 in Jacobin (“Big Brother Is Watching Amazon and Walmart Warehouse Workers,” machine translated)
  See the Oxfam study:
  • At Work and Under Watch: Surveillance and Suffering in Amazon and Walmart Warehouses
    “Amazon and Walmart are the two largest private employers in the United States, and together these two megacorporations have amassed unprecedented wealth. Both companies have succeeded because they have developed new methods of bringing cheap goods to the American consumer with unprecedented convenience and speed. However, their outsized economic power comes at a high price, particularly for women and Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). In fact, Amazon and Walmart have created business models that directly benefit from and perpetuate racial and class inequalities in the United States. Furthermore, both companies reap large profits from increasingly repressive forms of control and find new ways to exploit, discipline and maximize their workers' productivity. Amazon is a pioneer in the surveillance and management of workers in its warehouses, and Walmart, long known for oppressive worker surveillance practices, is also entering a new phase of accelerating the use of technology in its facilities.
    This report presents the results of two recent surveys—the National Survey of Amazon Warehouse Workers and the National Survey of Walmart Warehouse Workers—both of which examine the role that new forms of technology-enabled worker surveillance play in the lives of warehouse workers. The quantitative survey data is complemented by qualitative ethnography and interviews with Amazon and Walmart workers. Excerpts from these interviews are included throughout the report to provide insight into how technology-enabled surveillance is experienced by workers. This report shows that the measurement, monitoring, discipline and data collection systems used by both companies unduly punish workers, stifle their voice and have a negative impact on workers' health, safety and well-being…” EnglishOxfam report on April 10, 2024 (machine translated) for
    • study“At Work and Under Watch: Surveillance and suffering at Amazon and Walmart warehouses” 
  • We remind you of our dossier:Amazon monitors where it can – everything and everyone. Customers, users, suppliers, third parties…
• New survey: Amazon workers in 8 countries say intrusive surveillance makes them sick and anxious
  • Life in the Amazon panopticon. An international survey of Amazon employees
    “In 2021, UNI Global Union released its report “The Amazon Panopticon,” detailing the sophisticated surveillance system Amazon uses to control its workers at every level of the company, from cameras in warehouses to GPS-tracking driver apps to doorbells. This year, UNI commissioned an international survey of Amazon workers, conducted by Jarrow Insights, specifically focused on examining the concrete impact this technological surveillance apparatus has on the people who experience it. (…) It was aimed at warehouse workers, delivery drivers and office workers in the areas of technology andCustomer service. (…) If you look at the answers as a whole, a clear picture emerges across all countries and roles. The majority of workers surveyed expressed the view that Amazon's monitoring of their work performance is excessive and opaque, that expectations are unrealistic, and that striving to meet these unrealistic expectations is and is having a negative impact on their physical health and, more seriously, their mental health...” From the introduction toJarrow Insights report for UNI Global Union, January 2023 (available in several languages), see also:
  • New Survey: Amazon Employees in 8 Countries Say Intrusive Surveillance Makes Them Sick and Anxious
    Summary of the study from January 19, 2023 at UNI with an overview of the data
• Amazon: Data and packages – control of everyone involved until delivery to the door 
  "The newspaper advertisements are page-sized, and there are numerous television spots in which Amazon promotes its working conditions. You can always see employees smiling and reporting about varied work, career opportunities, pride and fun. In technical jargon, this is called an "employer branding campaign": companies try to improve a bad image and use it to recruit new workers. (…) The reports of good-humored people leave out only one thing: digital technology. In fact, Amazon cannot operate without them. The business model worldwide and also in the 18 German logistics centers, 5 sorting centers and more than 50 distribution centers is based on managing and monitoring work through networking and artificial intelligence. The “Amazon Fulfillment Center,” as the logistics center is called internally, is a huge warehouse where people employed directly by Amazon fill packages. There are also many temporary workers employed there. The distribution centers are operated by Amazon Logistics and serve the “last mile”, i.e. delivering the goods to customers. This task is primarily carried out by a network of small delivery companies that are contracted to Amazon as subcontractors. In addition, there is a comparatively smaller number of self-employed contractors who carry out delivery orders via the “Amazon Flex” app. (…) Central to work at Amazon, no matter where, is the digital monitoring and control of employees. Without the technological tools of scanners, apps and camera surveillance, employees cannot work in warehouses or delivery centers. The devices constantly collect their data.This means that Amazon is always informed about where individual employees are, whether they are talking to colleagues, whether and when they are taking a break, or how much time they need for work. (…) Anyone who does not comply with the requirements, i.e. is not fast enough or takes breaks that are too long, will be warned and must expect termination. All employees are under constant pressure to perform; the pace of their work is constantly measured and their performance is compared with others. The high speed leads to significantly more injuries in the USA than in other companies in the industry. (…) The solo self-employed couriers are also controlled throughout the day using the specified route in the “Flex” app. In the USA and now also in Germany, the group goes one step further. The “Mentor” app records working hours, driving behavior and phone use. This way, supervisors know in real time how quickly packages are being delivered and encourage employees to perform faster through calls and text messages. (…) Trade unions and data protection initiatives have been fighting against such working conditions for a long time, in Germany and worldwide…” Contribution by Tina Morgenroth from the Atlas of Digital Work at the DGB- Gegenblende on June 29, 2022 to the  56-pageAtlas of digital work 
• Amazon workers demand data transparency: International workforce defends itself against surveillance with the help of the GDPR 
  "Amazon warehouse workers from Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland and Slovakia today submitted requests for information in accordance with Article 15 of the GDPR. This action is coordinated by the international trade union federation UNI Global Union and noyb.eu and is intended to provide clarity about Amazon's handling of its employees' personal data. Although the company uses sophisticated systems to monitor work processes and employees, those affected have so far been left in the dark about the use of their personal data. Amazon has now has a month to fully disclose the processing steps (…) "Amazon may be one of the largest corporations in the world, but they cannot feed an algorithm with our data and then fire people or do whatever they want with our data. As employees, we have a right to privacy and a right to know." – Andreas Gangl, representative of the German union “ver.di” and worker, who submitted a request for information. (…) "This is a classic case of information and control asymmetry. On the one hand we have a private company collecting huge amounts of personal data, and on the other hand we have individuals who are in a bind and economically dependent on their jobs. We are trying to redress this imbalance through coordinated requests for information." – Stefano Rossetti – data protection lawyer at noyb. “The combination of Amazon’s voracious appetite for data and its anti-union behavior is deeply troubling.“Employees have the right to know whether their personal data is being used against them so that they can exercise their rights under the GDPR,” – Christy Hoffman, Secretary General of UNI Global Union (quote translated from English)…” Report from March 14, 2022 from and at noyb.eu , the European data protection platform
• Organize AW/AS: Amazon Workers Against Surveillance 
  “DON’T STRESS, AMAZON! Whether Amazon, Alexa, parcel delivery, customer service or in the shipping centers: Amazon monitors its employees around the clock with apps, hand scanners, browser tools and cameras. Working at Amazon is stressful and dangerous to your health everywhere. PERMANENT CONTROL IS NOT NORMAL: Anyone who works at Amazon knows this all too well: tools measure your performance and management puts you under pressure. Colleagues get sick, lose jobs because they weren't “fast enough,” are bullied by management, or get less money if they don't achieve their goals. IT IS ILLEGAL! (…)SURVEILLANCE CAN BE STOPPED! There are many ways to stop surveillance: you can elect a works council, influence the existing works council, contact trade unions, involve the data protection authority or sue for damages. There are already examples where surveillance has been stopped through collective action. We will discuss the steps with you and answer your questions! We can offer legal training in your language and discussion rooms…” MultilingualAction page of the new initiative (alsoon Twitter ) by Amazon workers, IT workers, lawyers and union organizers – main supporters: Tech Workers Coalition, Make Amazon Pay and Ver.di.
• The Amazon Panopticon. A guide for workers, organizations and policymakers 
  “When a customer clicks on an item on the Amazon website, they experience onefast, smooth and convenient purchase and delivery process that gives hima fast, smooth and convenient purchase and delivery process, giving him almost instant access to an infinite selection of consumer goods.What they don't see are the cascading effects set in motion by that click, which are driven by Amazon's corporate algorithms and directly on the very engine of the company's one-click consumption model: workers. The workers who work in Amazon's warehouses (or "fulfillment centers") or who deliver packages experience a form of work that is controlled and directed by algorithms. Algorithms are controlled and directed, which translates into intense pressure to make “rates” – for example, picking 100 items per hour from the warehouse shelves or delivering 30 packages per hour on the streets of Berlin or Barcelona. Amazon uses pressure to force its employees to work faster, monitor compliance with corporate culture, or even spy on union activismAmazon is deploying one of the most intrusive and pervasive systems of workplace surveillance the world has ever seen…” From the introduction to the EnglishStudy by UNI Global Union “The Amazon Panopticon,” about the intrusive and all-encompassing surveillance system for Amazon workers – Amazon Fast Purchasing – sheds light on the harmful effects of this system on its 1.3 million workers. Amazon warehouse workers and drivers are constantly exposed to a high-pressure environment that breaks down their bodies and ultimately forces them to quit...
• [E-commerce and “workforce acceleration”] Amazonization – the future of capitalism 
  Interview by Left Voice's Tatiana Cozzarelli and Maryam Alaniz with sociology professor Jake Alimahomed-Wilson, edited published by Class Against Class on May 25, 2021 , in which the co-editor of “The Cost of Free Shipping: Amazon in the Global Economy” explains the basics of his theory. Jake Alimahomed-Wilson:"I have spent most of my career studying how capitalism works through logistics and the impact of neoliberalism and capitalist exploitation, racism and violence on workers throughout the global supply chain. I started doing this several years ago when I completed the Choke Points project with Immanuel Ness. I gave lectures all over the world, from New York to London to Paris. Lots of questions asked of us by organizers, activists and people in the labor movement I had just begun my own research into Amazon. I was very interested in looking into the company from a labor and logistical perspective. Eventually, I came into contact with Ellen Reese, who is a professor at UC Riverside in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. Together we worked on an idea for a book about Amazon that included the perspectives of workers and activists E-commerce is leading to a so-called “workforce acceleration.” This development is being driven by the world’s largest e-commerce company: Amazon. Workers are now having to work faster and under greater pressure. In connection with this, what we call “worker surveillance and control technologies” that companies are using to spy on their workers. All of this has led to an increasing racialization of the workforce.BIPoC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) and especially WoC (Women of Color) are disproportionately represented in the most grueling, most monitored jobs in the e-commerce industry. Amazon is driving this, resulting in immense profits for a very small group of predominantly white and male executives. (…) We have seen that Amazon employs predominantly BIPoC workers around the world in the toughest and most monitored jobs; In the United States in particular, Black and Latinx workers are disproportionately employed as warehouse workers - the lowest-paid job in the entire Amazon group. They are underrepresented in leadership positions and overrepresented in the tough, burnout-prone jobs that lead to high injury rates…”
• ver.di makes serious allegations against Amazon – total surveillance puts employees under massive pressure
  “At today's hearing in the European Parliament on the corporate practices of the US company Amazon in Europe, the United Services Union (ver.di) is making serious allegations against the retail giant. “The operational policy at Amazon is characterized by an aggressive strategy of internal control, which repeatedly includes profiling and data protection violations,” says Orhan Akman, ver.di federal specialist group leader for retail and mail order. Specifically, ver.di accuses the group of using artificial intelligence and digital processes to scan employees around the clock. “Amazon employees in Germany complain that every step of their work is tracked through the use of appropriate software,” says Akman. Visual or acoustic signals constantly ensure that the company's control is constantly brought to attention: "Red means: the employee is inactive. Even if there is a minimal interruption to work, employees are addressed," reports the trade unionist. Every smallest error results in so-called feedback. In addition, all scanners are equipped with microphones as standard, the employees reported. Although the company's internal data protection officers denied eavesdropping through the installed microphones, Akman fears that the optimization of the work process would ultimately be extremely detrimental to the employees. "The use of cameras, microphones and scanners turns employees into transparent people. This causes enormous psychological pressure and, above all, makes them sick," says the trade unionist…”ver.di press release from May 27, 2021 
• Patents as Amazon’s wet dream 
  In hisArticle “Capitalism’s Wet Dream: Amazon’s Patents Signal the Future It Hopes to Achieve”on May 7, 2021 at Canada's The Bullet, Alessandro Delfanti describes, based on patents that Amazon has registered, that early automation of Amazon's operations is unlikely. The focus of the patents is on monitoring human labor even more closely than before, for example through electronic glasses, and thus optimizing and intensifying work even more. Instead of the deserted factory, automation threatens, in which the machines give the instructions for even faster work...
• Spy King Amazon. Online giant monitors workers with special software. Lower Saxony's state data protection officer intervenes. Verdi warns of a “democracy-free corporate zone” 
  “…In addition to stubborn workers, data protection activists are now also harassing the company. With good reason: Amazon has been criticized for years for the use of surveillance technology in its goods handling points. According to reports from Tagesschau.de on Tuesday, Lower Saxony's state commissioner for data protection, Barbara Thiel, is sounding the alarm. The accusation: With special software, the work performance of employees can apparently be monitored continuously. (…) An Amazon worker from Leipzig, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed to jW on Tuesday: "Internal monitoring is intended to discipline us, of course." If certain efficiency criteria set by management were not met by individual employees, managers who constantly walk up and down the hallways of the hall quickly sought to talk to them. “Everyone should feel like they’re being watched,” says the logistics worker.According to Tagesschau.de, the state data protection officer Thiel confirmed to "Panorama" that the Amazon location in Winsen, Lower Saxony, had been prohibited from "uninterruptedly collecting and using up-to-date, minute-by-minute quantitative and quality performance data from its employees." Amazon seems relaxed. "In the decision we have received, the authority states that we are not prevented from continuing to use the existing software systems," said a company spokesman in response to a query from jW on Tuesday. Open questions about data collection would now be clarified in court. (…) Verdi also gets involved. Orhan Akman, who is responsible for retail and mail order at the union, explained in a jW interview on Tuesday: "Amazon acts like a control-driven surveillance state." The company should not become a democracy-free zone in which managers can do whatever they want towards the employees. Therefore, the data protection authorities in all states and at the federal level must take action against persistent informers. The goal: put a stop to Amazon.”Article by Oliver Rast in the young world from December 2nd, 2020 – see:
  • “Proceedings against Amazon” on December 1st, 2020 at tagesschau.de reports from Lower Saxony: “…Amazon is not only one of the big winners of the corona pandemic, but also one of the most valuable companies in the world. But the online giant has been criticized for years for its treatment of its employees, particularly with regard to their surveillance. According to reporting byARD magazine PanoramaIn October, the Lower Saxony State Commissioner for Data Protection complained about some of the software's functions. InpanoramaEmployees complained that even basic human needs could hardly be met in everyday work. At the center of the accusation is a computer program with which the performance of employees can apparently be permanently monitored. The Amazon worker scans every part that he stores, selects or puts into a package. This scanning process is recorded down to the second and displayed to a foreman. This means he can monitor every step of the employees' work and see whether a particular worker is packing enough packages. A foreman described in Panorama how he sees on his display when an employee doesn't work for a few minutes. The Lower Saxony state commissioner for data protection has now confirmedpanorama, the Amazon location in Winsen, Lower Saxony, was prohibited from “continuously collecting and using up-to-the-minute, up-to-the-minute quantity and quality performance data from its employees.” One of the most modern Amazon centers in Europe is located in Winsen. This decision could have a signal effect for all of Germany, because Amazon uses the software nationwide. OnNDRIn response to the request, an Amazon spokesman said that they did not accept the decision. "Unlike the authority, we are of the opinion that the way the data was collected is also lawful. That is why we will have the authority's decision reviewed by the courts." The decision is not yet legally binding. Amazon has until December 3rd to file a lawsuit against it. “The total surveillance by Amazon is the exact opposite of good and safe work,” said André Scheer from the ver.di union…”
  • And internationally:Against Amazon's espionage regiment: Unions in Spain and Great Britain mobilize resistance - proceedings against total surveillance in Lower Saxony
• Surveillance at work: Amazon spies on its employees in Leipzig
  “The world's largest online retailer is afraid of union self-organization. Internal emails show how Amazon documents employee meetings in detail. The company is also concerned about the influence of environmental activists. (…) Journalist Gurleyquoted from internal emails the “Global Security Operations Center,” Amazon’s internal surveillance apparatus. It says that 339 employees took part in the strike in Leipzig, including no managers. It goes on to say that this is “46.37%” of the people Amazon expected to join the strike. The emails show how the company monitors the self-organization of its employees, including the identification of individuals. Managers in particular appear to be under targeted observation. Amazon denies this. When asked by netzpolitik.org, a spokesman wrote that there was “never any observation of the activities by operational employees on site”. It also becomes clear how detailed the company's internal monitoring unit documents strikes and creates forecasts that are then corrected. (…) An internal report from 2019 that has now become known also shows that Amazon isProtests by environmental activists in Germany are feared . The social media activities of Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion and Fridays for Future are therefore being closely monitored. According to Gurley, the report describes, for example, a Greenpeace video and notes that it is the “third video on Amazon in two weeks” and that a boycott “cannot be ruled out.” An Amazon spokesperson writes to netzpolitik.org that it would be wrong “to scandalize these activities or claim they are unusual.” (…)The internal documents now published are just another piece of the puzzle in the revelations about employee surveillance at Amazon. Trade union representatives from 15 countries therefore called on the European Commission in October to examinewhether the group violates European law .”Article by Marie Bröckling from November 26th, 2020 at Netzpolitik 
  • For background information, see our article from November 25, 2020:Amazon's anti-union and anti-social global strategy maintains arch-reactionary traditions: Pinkerton's Terror was intended to prevent unions as early as the 19th century
• The pecking reserve army. Control and rotation: Amazon constantly monitors its workforce and replaces employees
  “ The online giant Amazon likes to present itself as a friendly and fair company. In the midst of the first wave of the corona pandemic, the boss of Amazon Germany, Ralf Kleber, praised his employees effusively in an image video. The work they are doing is more important than ever. According to Kleber, the pickers, packers and suppliers are “Amazon heroes”. However, Lisa Reisner* doesn't feel like she's being treated like a heroine. She has been working in Winsen an der Luhe, Lower Saxony, in one of the most modern Amazon shipping warehouses in Europe for several years. The work pressure is enormous, she says. Depending on the department, she has to store or pick several hundred goods per hour. If she doesn't meet the specified rate, an "area manager", a kind of foreman, quickly stands next to her. “We are treated like robots that don’t function properly,” says Reisner. (…) In the classic factory of the last century, the assembly lines ran faster in order to increase the rate of surplus value. In 21st century digital capitalism the rate is increasing. When Lisa Reisner started at Amazon in Winsen four years ago, she picked almost 200 items an hour in the department. Little by little the rate increased. It is now at 350. “The work has remained the same, but now we have to work almost twice as much,” says Reisner. The rate is also increasing because Amazon focuses primarily on precarious employment relationships. Peter Birke from the University of Göttingen estimates that at peak times up to 50 percent of employees at the Winsen location are on temporary contracts. (…) In Leipzig, where one of the 13 large distribution centers in Germany is located, Michael Wolff was also employed on a temporary basis.He describes this time as an elimination race. Everyone tried to work even faster and faster to get the contract extension they were hoping for. "I gave 200 percent every day and fell into bed completely exhausted after work." He now works permanently at Amazon and no longer allows himself to be dictated to - also because the works council has put pressure on management against this form of work rush. (…) Labor sociologist Birke suspects that Amazon is deliberately opening locations where the employment model can be implemented: "The fact that Amazon is in Winsen, for example, is probably also due to the fact that there is a high potential of working poor people in the region." Amazon is taking advantage of the reservoir of the pecking reserve army to intensify exploitation - and to achieve record sales based on the work of its "heroes and heroes." Article by Sebastian Friedrich in the young world from November 4th, 2020 
• Fatal surveillance: The pressure on the employees at the Amazon center in Winsen is high. Accidents can sometimes occur, as in the case of Marc S. 
  "Marc S. came to Hamburg for the fourth operation on his arms and hands. He sits in a café near the main train station and rolls up his sleeves: "Here," he says and points to a scar on his thumb. That was the accident at work, then complications followed and a second operation, a third operation on the other hand and now the elbow. Marc S. worked at Amazon in Winsen for a year and a half. The pressure he was exposed to there left its mark. (…) “The managers come to you all the time,” says S. in an interview with taz. "They show you your work performance as a graph on a laptop and say: 'You're fast, that's good. But you have to get even faster'. The pressure is immense." Marc S. worked quickly, as he says, “as quickly as three people together”. Until he got injured. S. worked in the “receive” area as a “production supervisor”. In the receiving area, employees stand on conveyor belts, cut open incoming boxes, scan the goods and place them on a conveyor belt at knee height. The empty box goes on a belt that runs over the heads. This is how it works, package by package, piece by piece. (…) Amazon employees get their work materials such as safety gloves and special safety knives from a vending machine. The employee scans the ID card and orders the desired goods using a key combination, like at the snack machine at the train station. “But if you’ve already used up several blades for your safety knife, you won’t be able to get a new one,” says Marc. So he punched through the boxes with his fist and then folded them. Until his thumb was bent: a torn ligament. His elbow was also damaged, specifically the nerve that extends to his ring and index finger.The two fingers of his right hand are numb. Amazon has a special procedure for getting rid of temporary employees who don't work as quickly as others or who attract negative attention in some way. There are fixed days for such indirect dismissals, they are called “release days”. S.'s contract was also not renewed after a year and a half, even though he worked quickly enough. S. is sure that the reason for this is the long sick leave after the industrial accident. (…) In the year and a half that S. worked at the Winsen location, there were five work accidents in his department, he says. A hundred employees worked there per shift; according to Amazon, there are 1,900 across the entire site. The multinational itself does not release any figures on workplace accidents. He emphasizes: “Amazon values ​​the safety and health of its employees and has invested millions of dollars to create a safe workplace.” Article by Katharina Schipkowski from October 28, 2020 in the taz online 

See also the international dossier:Amazon monitors where it can – everything and everyone. Customers, users, suppliers, third parties…

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