As Jeff Bezos Looks Forward to Trillions, Amazon Suffers

Hours after Amazon’s withdrawal of overtime pay for warehouse and delivery workers, CEO Jeff Bezos seeks trillions. Meanwhile, the seventh warehouse employee death is expected to shove stocks down by a mile on Friday.

Bezos’ name went wild across the internet when reports emerged that he could become the world’s first trillionaire by 2026. His current net worth is at $142.4 billion, especially as his company continues to see higher revenues amid the pandemic.

This means that the CEO makes $2,489 per second, sending the stock market wild.

Despite the possible feat, the e-commerce company only extended a wage increase and double overtime pay until May 30. It first said it would raise hourly wages and provide double overtime for its workers in March through May 16.

The company said it wouldn’t be extending those policies into June.

There was also another policy that allowed workers to take unlimited time off without pay, but executives reversed it recently. The leave policy allowed workers to stay home without losing their job until the policy ended on May 1.

Even with social distancing measures, Amazon hired 175,000 workers in the pandemic. The act triggered mixed feelings for the company amongst investors as the market pumps on its shares on the daily.

Now that the policy is gone, their facilities are far more crowded, driving stock trading wild on Friday.

Another Warehouse Death for Amazon

While this was happening, a warehouse worker in Indianapolis, Indiana, died of COVID-19. This brings the company’s uncertain death toll to seven, although there’s no way to tell if the number is accurate.

Furthermore, some warehouse workers even said they wouldn’t say anything if it wasn’t for people asking questions. A spokesperson contradicted this claim, saying that they announced the Indiana worker’s death soon after April 30.

Now, the current case was already the second known death of a warehouse employee in the same state. Another worker died in Jeffersonville, adding onto the numbers in New York, Illinois, and California.

Executives repeatedly refused to share how many of its workers tested positive for the virus, calling the figure “not useful.” Thirteen state attorneys general recently requested legitimate figures of the death toll and infection data.

Workers, activists, and lawmaker critics have been raising concerns about its employees’ safety since late March. The firm fired several workers who raised concerns as more lawmakers demanded the company to provide information on the termination.

Moreover, a senior engineer resigned because of these actions, especially for those who called to improve warehouse conditions.

Amazon responded to all of these concerns over the past two months with lackluster safety measures. They frequently check temperatures, made more face masks, and increased cleaning. According to one of its statements, its top concern is to “ensure the health and safety” of its employees.

But workers keep saying that cleaning has been uneven, and the crowded conditions make it worse.