End Of March Check In: On Amazon -- And The Manifold Abuses -- Of Its Laborers... An Ongoing Series.

Not at all surprising, given what we already knew about the way Amazon monitors every motion; every moment and every footstep of its employees and drivers, both on and off- premises. . . 24/7/365. But it is still. . . deplorable.

This latest study, out of my own home-town university. . . makes plain why Bezos does it: because it is highly effective at breaking worker solidarity. And thus, effective at defeating union organizing campaigns. Here's the latest, out of data from the Alabama union drives:

. . .A new paper on Amazon’s anti-union efforts at its Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse is the first academic study to examine the ways Amazon has leveraged algorithms to crush pro-union movements inside one of its sprawling warehouses. The study, published by researcher Teke Wiggin of Northwestern University, was compiled using dozens of worker interviews and FOIA requests to the National Labor Relations Board.

Ultimately, the 2021 union vote in Bessemer ended with workers voting against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) by a count of 1,798 to 738 out of 5,867 workers eligible to vote, proving that the sprawling surveillance and discipline system is highly effective.

Since the 2021 election, Amazon has been ordered to hold two more elections at the plant. However, the company has proved exceptionally deft at thrashing worker organizing with both old-school and cutting-edge technologies. The modern tactics detailed by Wiggin include leveraging algorithmic discipline on worker devices, algorithmic slack-cutting or “electronic whipping,” in which algorithms rapidly alter quotas and rules, mobile device spamming, and social media monitoring. . . .

Now you know. Onward -- but it cannot break my positive ju-ju mood, as I'm out for a ride to/by the lake, and fresh hot fish tacos from a sublime local truck / vendor! Smile.

Be excellent to one another and root for Michigan tonight to pull an upset, so I might best Mr. Obama. . . we are essentially tied at the moment in the men's, but he is up two games on me, in the women's brackets. Much more once Sweet 16 weekend is in the books! Yup.

नमस्ते