Amazon hopes a small bonus will please staff working through COVID-19
Amazon is paying its logistics workers a one-time $500 bonus as a “thank you” for working on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a company blog post. The bonus comes after Amazon’s response to the pandemic prompted criticism from employees, along with a lawsuit from workers in Staten Island and a two-day strike at a warehouse in Germany.
The bonus will be issued to “All front-line employees and partners who were with the company throughout the month of June,” according to the blog post. Most full-time employees, including Whole Foods Market employees and Delivery Service Partner drivers, will receive a bonus of $500. The bonus varies in amount depending on an employee’s position, with some bonuses totalling as high as $3,000. The move will cost the company $500 million overall.
In early June, Amazon ended the $2-an-hour hazard pay it had begun for front-line employees in late March. Coronavirus has continued to spread in Amazon’s warehouses, including in Minnesota and California. Given that Amazon pulled in $75.5 billion in revenue in the first quarter alone, one could say this is literally the least the company could do.
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