Amazon

Amazon's Loss Prevention Strategy Lands them in Court

After a hard day working in a warehouse fulfilling orders, I can image that the last thing employees would want to do is stand in a line, waiting to be screened before they are allowed to leave the premises. This is one company’s way of keeping up with loss prevention measures, though, helping to ensure that employees don’t steal any products. Amazon's Loss Prevention Strategy Lands them in Court

In an Amazon warehouse in Nevada, two ex-employees, Jesse Busk and Laurie Castro, have filed a lawsuit against the online, retail giant claiming that they should be paid for the two-plus hours per week that they spent outside of their regular working hours waiting in a line to participate in what their attorney, Mark Thierman, calls a “9/11-style security check.” According to Busk and Castro, waiting to participate in these airport-level screenings sometimes took up to 30 minutes.

Thierman argues that the time spent waiting in line should be covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act as it requires workers to be paid for “integral and indispensable” activities outside their regularly-scheduled work hours. He goes on to say that the security check isn’t for safety but to look for stolen items, which benefits the employer and not the public. (I disagree a bit with Thierman. It does benefit the public as employee theft drives prices up; if Amazon is preventing employees from stealing, then prices will hopefully stay affordable.)

Other arguments include that only warehouse workers were subject to the security checks, not executives and that a couple of hours of life was lost waiting in line.

Christine Owens, National Employment Law Project executive director, is involved in the case and as she sees it, if Amazon had a security screening during the workday, the employees would have been compensated for that. She also notes that the U.S. Government has already sided with Amazon’s staffing company, Integrity Staffing Solutions, since the government requires many of its workers to participate in non-work hour security screenings.

For now, the fate of approximately 76 million hourly workers is at the mercy of the U.S. Supreme Court.

(Image: Joe Ravi / Shutterstock.com)

About the Author

Ginger Hill is Group Social Media Manager.

Featured

New Products

  • Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems V07

    Automatic Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of pedestrian and vehicle secure entrance control access systems, is pleased to announce the release of its groundbreaking V07 software. The V07 software update is designed specifically to address cybersecurity concerns and will ensure the integrity and confidentiality of Automatic Systems applications. With the new V07 software, updates will be delivered by means of an encrypted file.

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.