JFK8 workers demand Amazon do something about their hours-long commutes

Workers exit the Amazon warehouse facility on Staten Island, N.Y. | Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AP

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.—Amazon workers at the JFK8 fulfillment center on Staten Island, after working 12-hour shifts, often have to wait over an hour for buses to pick them up to begin what for many of them is an hours-long commute home.

On Sept. 18, over 50 Amazon workers walked off from their stations or came in on their day off to gather in the JFK8 breakroom before marching together to their manager’s office. They held signs and greeted coworkers at their stations as they passed. They delivered a massive stack of papers containing over 1,100 signatures from workers at the facility calling on Amazon to provide adequate transportation to workers.

James, a warm and conversational leader in the warehouse and active member of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU-IBT Local 1), has worked at Amazon for over three years; he packages items coming into the warehouse. He spoke about the situation workers at JFK8 face with the public transportation system.

“Over half the building relies on public transportation to get to work. They only run one bus to JFK8, so it’s a really pressing issue. When I had to take the bus, it was a two-hour commute because I had to take the 40 bus which goes in the complete opposite direction to my home. It was a two-hour bus ride, but only a 10-minute drive. Amazon knows about the transportation issues, but they claim they don’t. Our petition was to let them know how many people it affects.”

The petition demands that Amazon negotiate with the MTA to improve bus services to the warehouse, provide a shuttle bus for Amazon workers, and give workers Lyft rideshare discount codes to help cover the costs of their transportation.

“In the winter workers are waiting in the snow, in the summer they’re waiting in the heat, and most people are getting off a 12-hour shift. Recently, workers have been waiting at the bus stop for over an hour. The bus opens the doors, and people just see home, so everyone just starts shoving to get on. The commute starts with the 40 bus. It should be strong.”

Joelle Jean, a soft-spoken Haitian immigrant who lives in Manhattan, unloads packages from conveyor belts onto pallets during her 12-hour day. Long commutes to the warehouse take a toll on her life, she told People’s World.

“I spend 18 hours a day on my feet—12 hours for my shift and six hours for my commute.” She said even though she needs extra money, she cannot pick up overtime. “I’ve tried, but when I do, I have to leave early or take time off because I need to rest. I don’t sleep, I’m too tired to do anything else. My friends and family are complaining they think I’m pulling away for some reason, but it’s just that they don’t know.”

According to Jean, sometimes the single bus that serves the warehouse drops workers off at the warehouse but then drives away without picking up any of the people trying to go home after their shift.

According to James, when Amazon opened JFK8 in 2018, the company promised workers and city residents that the warehouse would be easily accessible by public transportation and not create traffic issues.

The petition and “March on the Boss” action were part of an effort by ALU-IBT Local 1 activists previously involved with the Amazon Labor Union Democratic Reform Caucus to increase engagement in their union. James said that beyond the planned speakers, other workers jumped in to share their personal experiences. “A lot came from the heart,” he said.

Buoyed by elections in July of union leadership who campaigned on democratizing, organizing, and engaging rank-and-file members of ALU-IBT Local 1, union members feel confident that they can make gains on transportation.

Jean feels that Amazon workers are being empowered by the recent wave of organizing at the warehouse.

“It’s starting to show us that we have rights, that we can ask for things, that we can get things. I feel like the workers are starting to believe management really cares, and I hope that it’s true. I hope that they (Amazon) show us that they really care. All these signatures are telling me that there’s a lot of us. I’m sure that with more time we could have had twice as many signatures.”

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CONTRIBUTOR

Avi Tachna-Fram

Avi Tachna-Fram is a student activist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.