Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday pulled a job ad seeking an analyst to monitor the “threat” of labor organizing at the e-commerce behemoth, which has resisted unionization since its founding.
Images of the posting shared by nonprofit pro-labor group Athena described a search for an analyst on “sensitive topics that are highly confidential including labor organizing threats against the company.”
Amazon did not provide any details about the job posting, but a company spokeswoman told reporters: “The job post was not an accurate description of the role — it was made in error and has since been corrected.”
Athena, a coalition that is focused specifically on Amazon’s corporate activity and treatment of workers, said that workers have complained of being targeted by the company for speaking out on labor issues.
“This job description is proof that Amazon intends to continue on this course,” Athena director Dania Rajendra said. “The public deserves to know whether Amazon will continue to fill these positions, even if they’re no longer publicly posted.”
Rajendra called on public officials to rein in Amazon’s power.
In a petition filed early this year with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and other labor groups claiming to represent a total of 5.3 million workers accused Amazon of anti-competitive practices.
“The company’s dominance allows it to squeeze profit from and reduce choice among workers, consumers, merchants and competitors,” read a copy of the 28-page petition available online.
The unions wanted the FTC to investigate whether the Seattle-based company is using its clout to push down wages for its workers and in labor markets in general.
Separately, the battle for online supremacy is on as Walmart Inc on Tuesday announced the coming launch of a membership program that provides free delivery as the world’s biggest retailer takes direct aim at Amazon.
The long-discussed Walmart+ would start on Sept. 15, charging US$98 annually or US$12.95 a month to provide free delivery as soon as the same day along with discounts on fuel and other features.
The service is to compete with Amazon’s “Prime” program, which offers free delivery within two days with a comparably priced subscription that also provides free and premium-priced video and entertainment offerings.
Walmart’s announcement highlighted the need to meet consumer needs in a fast-evolving economy especially amid the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that has fueled a surge in tech adaptations for the work and shop-at-home world.
“Life feels more complicated than ever. Walmart+ is designed to make it easier — giving customers an option not to have to sacrifice on cost or convenience,” Walmart chief customer officer Janey Whiteside said. “We have always been a champion for the right item at the right price, but now it’s more than that. We have the right shopping solutions at the right time, too.”
TECH PARTNERSHIP: The deal with Arizona-based Amkor would provide TSMC with advanced packing and test capacities, a requirement to serve US customers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is collaborating with Amkor Technology Inc to provide local advanced packaging and test capacities in Arizona to address customer requirements for geographical flexibility in chip manufacturing. As part of the agreement, TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, would contract turnkey advanced packaging and test services from Amkor at their planned facility in Peoria, Arizona, a joint statement released yesterday said. TSMC would leverage these services to support its customers, particularly those using TSMC’s advanced wafer fabrication facilities in Phoenix, Arizona, it said. The companies would jointly define the specific packaging technologies, such as TSMC’s Integrated
An Indian factory producing iPhone components resumed work yesterday after a fire that halted production — the third blaze to disrupt Apple Inc’s local supply chain since the start of last year. Local industrial behemoth Tata Group’s plant in Tamil Nadu, which was shut down by the unexplained fire on Saturday, is a key linchpin of Apple’s nascent supply chain in the country. A spokesperson for subsidiary Tata Electronics Pvt yesterday said that the company would restart work in “many areas of the facility today.” “We’ve been working diligently since Saturday to support our team and to identify the cause of the fire,”
China’s economic planning agency yesterday outlined details of measures aimed at boosting the economy, but refrained from major spending initiatives. The piecemeal nature of the plans announced yesterday appeared to disappoint investors who were hoping for bolder moves, and the Shanghai Composite Index gave up a 10 percent initial gain as markets reopened after a weeklong holiday to end 4.59 percent higher, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dived 9.41 percent. Chinese National Development and Reform Commission Chairman Zheng Shanjie (鄭珊潔) said the government would frontload 100 billion yuan (US$14.2 billion) in spending from the government’s budget for next year in addition
Sales RecORD: Hon Hai’s consolidated sales rose by about 20 percent last quarter, while Largan, another Apple supplier, saw quarterly sales increase by 17 percent IPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) on Saturday reported its highest-ever quarterly sales for the third quarter on the back of solid global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers. Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) globally, said it posted NT$1.85 trillion (US$57.93 billion) in consolidated sales in the July-to-September quarter, up 19.46 percent from the previous quarter and up 20.15 percent from a year earlier. The figure beat the previous third-quarter high of NT$1.74 trillion recorded in 2022, company data showed. Due to rising demand for AI, Hon Hai said its cloud and networking division enjoyed strong sales
RSS