A new Amazon surveillance system has raised privacy concerns among drivers as they reveal the difficulties of dealing with constant monitoring of their moves - including yawns or scratches.
Paranoia And Fear Of Losing Jobs
Speaking with Business Insider several drivers - who spoke on condition of anonymity owing to fears for their jobs - revealed the biggest concern in the driver community was privacy.
An Oklahoma-based driver told the outlet that she understands the job's demands but it has also made her scared of making a move such as scratching her nose or moving hair out of her face, "because we're going to get dinged for it."
Another driver based in California said the camera system left drivers with "zero privacy and no margin for error."
While some of the drivers acknowledged that the 270-degree-coverage cameras could be efficient in capturing dangerous situations and collisions, there was the matter of changing diapers or going to the bathroom.
Angel Rajal, an Amazon delivery driver, said that the surveillance system gave him a "'distracted driver' notification even if I'm changing the radio station or drinking water."
The issue of strict surveillance of drivers' moves is just one of the recent pileups of complaints that the company has been hit with over the past month.
Water Bottle Bomb
Late March there was anger on Twitter after Amazon denied reports that delivery workers were left with no choice but to urinate in water bottles as they lacked access to bathrooms.
In a tweet, the company said that if the reports were true, "nobody would work for us." However, leaked documents obtained by the Intercept indicated that Amazon was made aware of the issue for months.
Some workers have previously told The Guardian that urinating in water bottles was their only option if they didn't want to miss any delivery rates.
The issue has since forced Amazon to acknowledge the problem and the company apologized to U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who called out the company.
Pocan responded to the apology, stating that the issue isn't about him but "about your workers-who you don't treat with enough respect or dignity." The Democrat urged Amazon to first acknowledge the poor working conditions, fix the problems, and allow workers to unionize if they want to.
Is A Union The Only Solution?
A union election at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama sparked questions about whether a union is the only way to get the workers' message across.
In the said election, 87% voted "yes" while 9% were undecided.
Ever since reports of the Bessemer warehouse election emerged, Amazon workers across the country have started communicating about how they can unionize or if it is even possible.
Industry experts noted that many of the workers who are leaning toward a union are technically not Amazon employees, posing a challenge to encourage company employees to join the cause.
