Slogging Along...

Monday, December 7, 2015


Our first week of longer hours at Amazon was rough. Greg decided to go for the most overtime allowed and a $100 gift card, so he worked Monday through Saturday. His week ended at 4:50 pm when he maxed out at 59.5 hours which is the limit. Supposedly going over that risks firing. No one knows why. We took the option given to work-campers to only work 10 instead of 11 hours for our required 5 days, so that's what Greg and I did all week, swiping in at 6:30 am and leaving at 5 pm.


The days were long and frustrating. Most days we definitely did the 15 miles being sent from one side of a floor and back again after one pick, and then back again to the original spot. Our group spends a lot of time trying to figure out the computer's logic for the “pick path”. Greg got moved to the jewelry area at the other side of the 1/3-mile long warehouse. I stayed in our previous mod running up and down all floors many times a day. I can tell by how my pants fit that I've lost weight, and my everyday walking pace off the job has picked up!


At our last break of the week on Saturday afternoon, I got a taste of the local “culture”. A fellow picker decided that I disrespected him, I'm not sure how, and just before I got up from my table to go back to work walked up and verbally blasted me, then raced off! I was so shocked and speechless as were Greg and our friends, that I could hardly finish the afternoon. I am used to professional situations where if you have an issue, you address it civilly. It was a reminder that we are the interlopers here in a working class culture. One one level, I am furious with the guy. On another level I feel sorry for him that he has issues that cause him to blast a woman he doesn't even know. His buddies were all watching my reaction, so I guess that upped his credibility in their eyes. I've got two weeks left and I get on with my wonderful life while he has to keep working at Amazon. I'm choosing not to make this an issue for him if he leaves me alone.


Greg went in to work today so I went to the laundromat without him and will go pick him up again soon. Tomorrow it's back to the grind again and 12 more days for me and 13 for Greg. I am ready to be done. I don't know how the others who came in mid-September and mid-October are coping. As one of them said, she feels like she's “brain dead”. A few work-campers managed to get put into other departments after working for a while. The powers that be said that we were only to be put into picking even though other Amazon warehouses with work-campers use them in all areas. I told our HR person that I would only consider coming back next year if I could be put into something besides picking. All the other jobs are less strenuous. She told us they might not use work-campers here next year because they only hired 60, and were hoping for 200. Some new warehouses may open up to work-campers next year, but the advantage of this one is that it is mostly apparel, which is easier to handle than heavy electronics and appliances.


One of our 14 person orientation group quit this week, as well as several others who arrived before we did. It was too much to handle physically. No quitting here! I must admit I am a bit down today. The weather is gloomy, and I am feeling tired and out of sorts. The mobile home park we are staying in is bleak as well, and we are missing family and better warmer weather. Oh, and the sun! It's dark when we leave. We are sealed up in a warehouse all day, and dark when we come home. Okay, we are in the home stretch! I'll check in again next week!