Joe Offer wrote: "I don't know what's the truth here, but I haven't heard of Amazon employees wanting to strike for better wages and working conditions. All I've heard about, is Internet petitions from people who haven't worked there."

Hi Joe,

I understand and appreciate your cautious approach to such things. It's true I haven't worked at Amazon - nor (I expect) have the people who started the petition I've posted here.

However, an undercover reporter did work at Amazon UK and was not exactly impressed by the working conditions he encountered. Likewise, if you have the time (I do know this is an extra-hectic time of year) to read the article I linked to - written by another reporter who worked for a very similar type of company - you will see the following:

"...I'm working for a gigantic, immensely profitable company. Or for the staffing company that works for that company, anyway. Which is a nice arrangement, because temporary-staffing agencies keep the stink of unacceptable labor conditions off the companies whose names you know. When temps working at a Walmart warehouse sued for not getting paid for all their hours, and for then getting sent home without pay for complaining, Walmart—not technically their employer—wasn't named as a defendant. (Though Amazon has been named in a similar suit.) Temporary staffers aren't legally entitled to decent health care because they are just short-term "contractors" no matter how long they keep the same job. They aren't entitled to raises, either, and they don't get vacation and they'd have a hell of a time unionizing and they don't have the privilege of knowing if they'll have work on a particular day or for how long they'll have a job. And that is how you slash prices and deliver products superfast and offer free shipping and still post profits in the millions or billions."

"Lots of... warehousing and distribution centers... use temps year-round. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that more than 15 percent of pickers, packers, movers, and unloaders are temps. They make $3 less an hour on average than permanent workers. And they can be "temporary" for years. ... Often, temp workers have to call in before shifts to see if they'll get work. Sometimes, they're paid piece rate, according to the number of units they fill or unload or move. Always, they can be let go in an instant, and replaced just as quickly."