### Amazon Employees Call for $25 Minimum Wage Amid Rising Labor Turmoil
Amazon, a leading global employer, is under mounting pressure from its staff across various divisions. From warehouse personnel to delivery drivers and office workers, the e-commerce behemoth is contending with widespread dissatisfaction regarding pay, working conditions, and corporate practices. On Wednesday, employees at the STL8 Amazon Fulfillment Center in St. Louis, Missouri, confronted management directly, staging a march to advocate for a $25 minimum wage for all staff. This initiative is part of an expansive effort that has been accumulating steam over the years, as Amazon personnel throughout the country call for improved pay and enhanced workplace safety.
### An Escalating Movement
The push for a $25 minimum wage is not a recent development. It has been cultivating since 2021, when Amazon drivers first organized into unions. Since then, workers across Amazon’s extensive network of fulfillment centers and distribution points have been rallying for better wages and working environments. This movement has gained notable momentum in recent months, with workers conducting protests, petitioning, and even leaving messages for Amazon CEO Andy Jassy to amplify their demands.
The STL8 march is merely the latest in a succession of coordinated actions by Amazon employees nationwide. In California, New York, and various other states, warehouse workers have been orchestrating similar demonstrations, all targeting the same objective: a $25 minimum wage and safer working conditions. Christine Manno, a worker at the STL8 site, expressed that the current pay of $20.50 per hour does not suffice for basic living expenses such as food and housing.
“We operate at an exhausting pace,” Manno stated to Ars Technica. “We put smiles on the billionaire’s faces, and we feel it’s time for a substantial raise for the employees. There are far too many of us struggling with food and housing, yet Andy Jassy earned over $14,000 an hour last year, while Amazon is raking in billions.”
### Amazon’s Reaction: A Minor Compromise
Amid rising demands, Amazon recently unveiled a $2.2 billion investment aimed at increasing the base salaries of hourly fulfillment workers to “over $22 an hour, and more than $29 an hour with benefits.” While this move is a step forward, numerous workers contend that it falls short. STL8 employee Ash Judd remarked that the $1.50 increment was a direct result of their organizing efforts, but they plan to continue their fight until they achieve their $25-per-hour goal.
“Workers facilitated this $1.50 raise through our relentless organizing, and we will persist until we secure $25,” Judd affirmed.
### Financial Insecurity Among Amazon Staff
The drive for higher wages transcends the desire for increased income; it is fundamentally about survival. A recent study co-authored by Beth Gutelius, research director at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Center for Urban Economic Development, revealed that over half of Amazon warehouse workers have difficulty covering their bills, with many facing food and housing insecurity. The report, which surveyed more than 1,400 Amazon employees across 42 states, illustrates the stark financial challenges confronting those employed in Amazon’s warehouses.
Amazon disputes the report’s conclusions, branding it as “deeply flawed.” Yet, the findings resonate with the realities of many workers like Manno, who has been unable to return to work following injuries sustained on the job in 2022. Currently reliant on food stamps while waiting for long-term disability approval, Manno expressed that she has “learned not to expect anything positive” from Amazon regarding worker compensation.
“I’ve forfeited thousands of dollars in income,” Manno shared. “I haven’t received a paycheck since my short-term disability—which covered only 60 percent of my regular pay—concluded in January. I’m currently awaiting approval for long-term disability, an application I submitted back in January. I’ve maxed out my credit cards and depleted my 401k. I’m on food stamps. I was just approved for Medicaid. At one point, I even initiated a GoFundMe to cover rent.”
### The Pursuit of $25: A Justifiable Demand?
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has previously labeled a $25 minimum wage as “unreasonable,” asserting that it would negatively impact the company’s profitability. Nonetheless, Amazon recently became the fifth corporation to attain a $2 trillion market valuation, raising concerns about whether the company can indeed afford to increase worker compensation. According to Gutelius, a $25 minimum wage would merely align Amazon workers’ earnings with what they would
