Amazon offers $17 an hour and $1K sign-on bonus in hiring spree

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Amazon announced Thursday that it is hiring 75,000 additional employees across its fulfillment and transportation departments.
• The e-commerce company is offering a starting salary of $17 per hour and a $1,000 sign-on bonus.
• Amazon is the second largest private employer in the US next to Walmart.

Amazon announced Thursday that it is hiring 75,000 additional employees across its fulfillment and transportation departments.

Jeff Bezos’ multi-billion company has been looking for a large number of workers to fill out positions at its warehouses throughout the pandemic. Increased demand for online shopping prompted Amazon to hire more than 400,000 workers, making its total number of employees over 1 million.

Amazon offers an average starting salary of $17 per hour and a $1,000 sign-on bonus depending on the warehouse location. It is also giving an extra $100 to new hires who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Amazon is the country’s second largest private employer next to Walmart, which has more than 2 million employees.

Over the years, Amazon received a number of complaints due to its treatment of workers in its fulfillment centers. Complaints include untenable working conditions that force employees to stay on their feet for long hours and pack items at an incredible pace. Drivers complain that they’ve had to skip their bathroom breaks to deliver packages on time.

A large-scale unionization drive in April was unsuccessful. It happened at one of its fulfillment centers where workers sought to join The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union, or RWDSU. Amazon won when 1,798 votes cast against the union and 738 were cast in its favor.

The RWDSU says it will appeal the vote.

Amazon cried foul against claims that it mistreats workers, pointing to its $15-per-hour starting salary and available health benefits.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who will step down as CEO later this year, acknowledged the union vote. In his final shareholder letter as CEO, he emphasized that Amazon had to do more for its workers.

Bezos wrote: “While the voting results were lopsided and our direct relationship with employees is strong, it’s clear to me that we need a better vision for how we create value for employees — a vision for their success,”

Amazon needed workers in a number of states. The largest hiring is happening in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Source: AOL