What do delivery drivers, software engineers, journalists, and concessions workers have in common? With increasing frequency, they’re no longer working directly for the companies who rely on their labor. Instead, they’re being funneled to subcontracted companies, who offer inferior benefits—or they’re asked to be independent contractors, who are often paid far less than full-time employees and essentially have zero avenues to organize or obtain decent, affordable healthcare.
David Weil, an economics professor at Brandeis University, recently co-published a report about how Amazon has taken over the parcel delivery market. As the report details, Amazon is fulfilling billions (yes, with a “b”) of orders every year. Jeff Bezos’s cash cow is meeting Americans’ retail demands by paying its delivery drivers (all of whom are either gig workers or subcontracted workers) much less than unionized UPS drivers. This is part of a long-simmering trend called “fissuring,” coined by Weil, who was the head of the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division during the Obama administration.
Hard Reset recently spoke to Weil about his Amazon delivery drivers report, and went deeper on a slew of related labor topics, including the shaky status of the National Labor Relations Board and National Labor Relations Act, and Weil’s personal experience dealing with politicians who prioritize business interests over workplace protections.
