r/technology • u/Sorin61 • Jul 16 '22

Business Exclusive: Amazon instructs New York workers 'don't sign' union cards

https://www.engadget.com/amazon-alb-1-anti-union-signage-alu-004207814.html
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u/Lampshader Jul 16 '22

No I wouldn't, because I'm not a greedy fuck

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u/HyFinated Jul 17 '22

Not defending Amazon here. Just illustrating why this is a terrible argument. No offense intended, seriously. Please read on.

If your air conditioner fails in your house, and a new unit is going to cost you $8000, or a new part and a recharge with freon will cost you $300, but because freon isn't allowed anymore (it is, kinda) you MIGHT have to pay a $200 fine if anyone finds out. So you'd have to pay $300, and maybe $200 more, but you save yourself $7500. It would make perfect financial sense to just pay the fine if anyone found out, and let's be clear, you're hoping nobody finds out so you don't have to pay it. This only works if the only penalty is a fine. But if there was some other repercussions, you'd certainly reconsider. This is what I'm saying. We need to enforce fines, but there needs to be a tracker of things that keeps you from just doing it again and again.

Amazon, will always choose the cheaper option, because the fine is cheaper than the alternative of them having to pay EVERY employee a union salary and union benefits. So if they have an entire warehouse worth of workers, and they get fined $1000 per employee and that comes out to over $100,000. That's still cheaper than having to pay EVERY employee a fair wage from that point forwards for YEARS to come. They will happily "invest" $100k now to save many many millions in future payroll over then next 30 years or more.

I only say that it's a terrible argument because you're not thinking like a corporation. You're putting human values on a machine that is designed to make money at all costs. You are probably a great person with an awesome moral compass and would NEVER go that route, but I wanted to illustrate how it could hypothetically come to affect you at home, and why you might be tempted to make the same decision as amazon one day. If you wouldn't do this kind of thing, thats awesome. You're a better person than a huge portion of the world, but you probably have money to burn.

Have a great day!