US Politics



Another prominent GOP house member "retiring". If sentiment holds, this could be a massive wave year for the Dems.
 
I suspect Clinton had O'Connell forced out, as she will have found out Jess was one of the "anonymous" sources the NYT used for their story.

 
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-...nals-it-might-block-1517265413-htmlstory.html
The Supreme Court signaled Monday it may be open to blocking a state ruling on partisan gerrymandering at the behest of Pennsylvania’s Republican leaders.

Last week Pennsylvania’s high court struck down the state’s election districts on the grounds they were drawn to give the GOP a 13-5 majority of its seats in the House of Representatives.

Unlike other recent rulings, the state justices said they based their ruling solely on the state’s constitution. Usually, the U.S. Supreme Court has no grounds for reviewing a state court ruling that is based on state law.


The Pennsylvania decision, if it stands, could be significant in November when Democrats hope for big gains in Congress. The state justices ordered a new election map to be drawn in the month ahead, and legal experts predicted it could shift two or three seats toward the Democrats.

Late last week, the leaders of Pennsylvania’s legislature filed an emergency appeal with Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. seeking an order by Jan. 31 that would block the Pennsylvania ruling. They said it conflicted with a provision in the U.S. Constitution that says members of the House will be elected under rules “prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.” As precedent, their lawyers cited the Bush vs. Gore ruling in 2000 in which the justices overruled the Florida Supreme Court and ended a manual recount of thousands of paper card ballots.
Click to expand...

The next Dem should court-pack the SC just before leaving office. 15 sounds like a nice number.
 
http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/30/news/companies/amazon-berkshire-jpmorgan-health-insurance/index.html


Amazon is partnering with Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase, the nation's largest bank, to try to address one of the nation's thorniest and priciest problems -- soaring health care costs.

The three companies unveiled an as yet unnamed company to give their U.S. workers and families a better option on health insurance. The statement said the new company will be "free from profit-making incentives and constraints."
Click to expand...
 
Blodssvik said:
Their bribing power is unmatched. The Amazon empire will soon engulf every aspect of your life.
Click to expand...


I wouldn't be surprised if Jeff Bezos is very involved in the 2020 elections. Whether that is as a candidate or just a very rich powerful backer. He already owns the most expensive mansion in DC, and there are strong indications Amazons HQ2 might be in the proximity of DC.
 
Mike Schatner said:
I wouldn't be surprised if Jeff Bezos is very involved in the 2020 elections. Whether that is as a candidate or just a very rich powerful backer. He already owns the most expensive mansion in DC, and there are strong indications Amazons HQ2 might be in the proximity of DC.
Click to expand...
It's inevitable as he also owns WaPo, sits on a Pentagon advisory board etc etc on top of being the richest man in the history of the world while his employees live in poverty. Media and politicians can't stop rubbing his ego and throw tax money at him so it's up to the people to realise who the real enemies are.
 
Blodssvik said:
It's inevitable as he also owns WaPo, sits on a Pentagon advisory board etc etc on top of being the richest man in the history of the world while his employees live in poverty. Media and politicians can't stop rubbing his ego and throw tax money at him so it's up to the people to realise who the real enemies are.
Click to expand...

That is a very biased and inaccurate statement TBH. Amazon pay pretty damned well but you have to work hard.
 
Last edited:
I thought this was positive news in that these fairly capitalistic people (Bezos, Buffet and Dimon) agree that health care shouldn‘t be run for profit.
 
Sweet Square said:
That is a very based and inaccurate statement TBH. Amazon pay pretty damn low but you have to work hard for it.
Click to expand...

Not in the US they don't. The hourly paids get a very competitive rate plus more benefits than hourly workers usually get. The salaried staff are paid well plus they get stock options which can be worth tens of thousands a year.
 
Sweet Square said:
That is a very based and inaccurate statement TBH. Amazon pay pretty damn low but you have to work hard for it.
Click to expand...

I don't know what it's like in the US but the one nearest to me is known as a fecking appalling place to work - management horrible to staff, people getting hired for brief periods and constantly paid off etc. I'd imagine it's better as you move up the ladder but for the average worker here it's one of those horrible jobs you endure until you can hopefully find something better.
 
Mike Schatner said:
Not in the US they don't. The hourly paids get a very competitive rate plus more benefits than hourly workers usually get. The salaried staff are paid well plus they get stock options which can be worth tens of thousands a year.
Click to expand...
A new study found that 700 Amazon employees in Ohio are on food stamps(USA)
http://uk.businessinsider.com/amazon-employees-on-food-stamps-in-ohio-2018-1

Confronting Amazon(Poland)
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/03/amazon-poland-poznan-strikes-workers
All of the workers in the warehouse must reach the target to get a wage bonus. The minimum performance level, meanwhile, is used to pressure individual workers. Those who fail to meet it have a “feedback talk” with managers and then face termination if they don’t improve.

Amazon also frequently raises the quota, ratcheting up the pressure to complete tasks at a faster and faster pace. As one explained, “When I work too slow I get a kind of [text message] to my scanner: ‘Work faster!’”

When the fulfillment center in Poznań first opened, the pay for warehouse workers was 13 Polish Złoty (PLN) per hour, or about 2,000 PLN ($480) a month after bonuses and taxes. This is higher than Poland’s minimum wage (which in 2015 was 1,750 PLN, or $420 per month before taxes), and Amazon team leaders make about 20 to 25 percent more than their co-workers. But while all temporary workers receive the same pay they don’t all receive bonuses. And though enough for a single person, 2,000 PLN is hardly sufficient to support a family in Poland.
Click to expand...

Amazon drivers forced to deliver 200 parcels a day with no time for toilet breaks while earning less than minimum wage(UK)
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/amazon-drivers-forced-deliver-200-11668823
 
My son actually works for Amazon so I am pretty well versed on the company ethos and compensation. They always pay more than market rate for the job. It can be a a tough place to work and many struggle with the quotas and things like being separated from their mobile phones all shift.

With 600,000 staff you will always get a few horror stories. My son researched them as well before he took the job. When a facility opens and staffs up with 3,000 new hourly paid workers there will be a certain amount of attrition. The ones that can't hack it leave, and the majority actually stay. Mainly because they pay well above the market rate and offer decent benefits.

Its worked out very well for my son and he is paid insanely well considering his age. He also has a very high retention rate of the hourly paid that work for me. He has had to fire dozens of people that for whatever reason did not work out. From talking to him most of them either had an attitude or just couldn't perform.

To address the three links above:

Ohio - Amazon have a lot of unskilled hourly workers, many seasonal staff. Of course many will qualify for food stamps.

Poland - They are paying more than the market rate. Its a profit making company not a charity.

UK - Are the drivers even Amazon employees?
 
Last edited:
Mike Schatner said:
My son actually works for Amazon so I am pretty well versed on the company ethos and compensation. They always pay more than market rate for the job. It can be a a tough place to work and many struggle with the quotas and things like being separated from their mobile phones all shift.

With 600,000 staff you will always get a few horror stories. My son researched them as well before he took the job. When a facility opens and staffs up with 3,000 new hourly paid workers there will be a certain amount of attrition. The ones that can't hack it leave, and the majority actually stay. Mainly because they pay well above the market rate and offer decent benefits.

Its worked out very well for my son and he is paid insanely well considering his age. He also has a very high retention rate of the hourly paid that work for me. He has had to fire dozens of people that for whatever reason did not work out. From talking to him most of them either had an attitude or just couldn't perform.
Click to expand...

So it's good for upper management then.........well I never!
 
Mike Schatner said:
My son actually works for Amazon so I am pretty well versed on the company ethos and compensation. They always pay more than market rate for the job. It can be a a tough place to work and many struggle with the quotas and things like being separated from their mobile phones all shift.

With 600,000 staff you will always get a few horror stories. My son researched them as well before he took the job. When a facility opens and staffs up with 3,000 new hourly paid workers there will be a certain amount of attrition. The ones that can't hack it leave, and the majority actually stay. Mainly because they pay well above the market rate and offer decent benefits.

Its worked out very well for my son and he is paid insanely well considering his age. He also has a very high retention rate of the hourly paid that work for me. He has had to fire dozens of people that for whatever reason did not work out. From talking to him most of them either had an attitude or just couldn't perform.
Click to expand...

If he is firing people then he obviously isn't in one of the jobs we are talking about. 10% of Amazon's employees in Ohio are on food stamps. Those are the people we are talking about.
 
Sweet Square said:
So it's good for upper management then.........well I never!
Click to expand...
Eboue said:
If he is firing people then he obviously isn't in one of the jobs we are talking about. 10% of Amazon's employees in Ohio are on food stamps. Those are the people we are talking about.
Click to expand...

Amazon is a tough cut throat environment no matter what your level. I think his level actually have the highest attrition rate.
 
Eboue said:
Is anyone from his level on food stamps?
Click to expand...

Highly unlikely. You have to understand a large Amazon facility has 5000-6000 employees. Most are hourly paid, many are seasonal and quite a lot do not even work FT. Ohio has multiple facilities. Its hardly surprising a good percentage will receive food stamps. I am not sure what you have to earn to get food stamps but I doubt many FT staff doing 40 hour weeks are on them.
 
Mike Schatner said:
Ohio - Amazon have a lot of unskilled hourly workers, many seasonal staff. Of course many will qualify for food stamps.
Click to expand...
feck off

Mike Schatner said:
Poland - They are paying more than the market rate. Its a profit making company not a charity.
Click to expand...

''And though enough for a single person, 2,000 PLN is hardly sufficient to support a family in Poland.''

Mike Schatner said:
UK - Are the drivers even Amazon employees?
Click to expand...
Amazon are using agencies to hire the drivers(As I image it's cheaper and to stop the workers unionizing). It's both the agencies and Amazon responsibility .

Mike Schatner said:
Arguing based on limited information. Not everyone at Amazon dislikes working there. You are reading stories from the minority TBH.
Click to expand...
One example I used is from 700 workers, your example is your son.
 
Its clear Mike has a bias towards Amazon as his son works there.

You just need to read some of the stories and investigations that have been done to realise they have an awful work environment.
 
Mike Schatner said:
700 workers in a survey. Ohio has three facilities, so probably 10,000 hourly paid workers when you include seasonal staff. Now many of that 700 were actually FT (i.e. 40 hours a week) workers? My guess is none.
Click to expand...

@Eboue appears I was wrong, even middle management has a awful time at Amazon

Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/...g-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html?_r=0


Amazon 'regime' making British staff physically and mentally ill, says union
https://www.theguardian.com/technol...-staff-physically-and-mentally-ill-says-union


Cheesy said:
I don't know what it's like in the US but the one nearest to me is known as a fecking appalling place to work - management horrible to staff, people getting hired for brief periods and constantly paid off etc. I'd imagine it's better as you move up the ladder but for the average worker here it's one of those horrible jobs you endure until you can hopefully find something better.
Click to expand...
From looking at reports it was just a terrible also yeah it's seems they aren't great in Scotland
Amazon accused of 'intolerable conditions' at Scottish warehouse
https://www.theguardian.com/technol...-intolerable-conditions-at-scottish-warehouse
 
Last edited:
That is a surprise. Wonder if they're lining him up for the AG job if Sessions is forced out.
 
Last edited:
Javi said:
@Raoul why are they all in a train and not travelling by airplane or car?
Click to expand...

They are probably all traveling in a big group to a location that is too near for a plane ride and the group is too big to organize the logistics of a 50 car convoy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.