‘Make Amazon Pay’ Is About To Strike On Black Friday

Strike hard. Have fun. Make history! This is the motto of workers and activists in more than 20 countries in the campaign led by “Make Amazon Pay.” This group was established in 2020 by a coalition of 70 trade unions and organizations. Since then, the global protesters have hosted a series of strikes and protests against company policies. More notably included in the protests has been their active voice against Amazon‘s company policies. Now, Amazon employees from around the world are putting down their tape guns and distinguishable smile boxes; they’re preparing to make their voices heard on Nov. 26, Black Friday.

“Amazon is not alone in these bad practices, but it sits at the heart of a failed system that drives the inequality, climate breakdown, and democratic decay that scar our age.” -Make Amazon Pay

Take down Amazon box by box.

Amazon’s motto is “Work hard. Have fun. Make history.” And ex and current Amazon employees worldwide are preparing to take that to heart by pulling their weight to make a difference in the corporate hierarchy. According to the “Make Amazon Pay” Twitteraccount, the goal is to one day (hopefully soon) stop the progression of the supposed Amazonian vision for a dystopian society. Protesters are demanding a change in the working conditions and are striving for accountability from the company’s top executives.

Behind the coalition

Amazon.com Inc. could be described as a functional organizational structure: The system is broken down into business functions that are the basis for determining interactions at different levels of the organization. Here is a breakdown of Amazon’s corporate structure:

1. Global function-based groups (most significant feature)

2. Global hierarchy

3. Geographic divisions

Amazon thrives in its division of business functionality, extremely high corporate ladders, and ever-revolving corporate employees. It all goes toward benefiting the company by adding more products and gradually diversifying its business. But this is what the “Make Amazon Pay” coalition hopes to change.

A call for ‘payback to society’

The coalition calls for “payback to society” that includes enhanced sustainability efforts, increased transparency over data and privacy, and hopes to end partnerships with police forces and immigration authorities that are “institutionally racist.” A statement from Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company is “inventing and investing significantly” in several of the categories the campaign addresses, including climate efforts, like a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 pushes to improve competitive wages and benefits. Still, according to the protesting campaign, individuals “from oil refineries to factories, to warehouses, to data centers, to corporate offices” are expected to participate in the Nov. 26 event, no matter the commentary from Amazon.

The group says it will continue to stand united in its commitment to make Amazon pay:

• fair wages,

• appropriate taxes,

• and for its impact on the planet.

The global event hosted on Friday will include known parties and member groups such as Greenpeace, Oxfam, and Amazon Workers International.

#MakeAmazonPay day

Come Black Friday, Nov. 26, there will be strikes and protests around the world. Already, there are planned strikes in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Dublin, Barcelona, London, and more.