Current Events > AMZN driver told they be fired if stop delivering during deadly tornado

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An Amazon driver was told by her supervisor that she would lose her job if she stopped delivering packages, despite warnings of tornadoes in the area, according to a Bloomberg report.

The delivery driver told Bloomberg that her base was located in Edwardsville, Illinois the same location where six Amazon employees died after a tornado struck a warehouse last week.

Around 80 minutes before the tornado struck the warehouse, the driver sent a message seen and screenshot by Bloomberg to the supervisor saying, "radio's been going off."

The supervisor told her to "just keep delivering," adding that "we can't just call people back for a warning unless Amazon tells us to," according to the text messages cited by Bloomberg. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Bloomberg the authenticity of the messages between the driver and the supervisor.

When the driver sent another message to her supervisor, around 30 minutes later, saying that she could hear tornado alarms, the supervisor replied to say she should continue with her deliveries, per the texts reported by Bloomberg.

The supervisor then sent another message, telling the driver to "shelter in place for now, I just got word from Amazon", per the texts seen by Bloomberg, before adding, "give it about 15-20 minutes and then continue as normal."

The driver then told her supervisor in a subsequent message that she was going to return to base in Edwardsville for her own personal safety, adding that there was no place to shelter near her and the storm would be on top of her in 30 minutes, Bloomberg reported.

"If you decided to come back, that choice is yours. But I can tell you it won't be viewed as for your own safety. The safest practice is to stay exactly where you are. If you decide to return with your packages, it will be viewed as you refusing your route, which will ultimately end with you not having a job come tomorrow morning," the supervisor then wrote in the text to the driver, per Bloomberg.

After a few more text messages, the supervisor told the driver to stop and find shelter in place because a tornado had hit the warehouse and she wouldn't be able to access it, Bloomberg reported.
Amazon didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about the incident.

Capitalism creates unjustified hierarchies

A company spokesperson told Bloomberg in a statement that the supervisor didn't follow the standard safety protocols. They should have told the driver to find shelter if the driver could hear tornado sirens, the spokesperson said.
"Under no circumstance should the dispatcher have threatened the driver's employment, and we're investigating the full details of this incident and will take any necessary action," the spokesperson added.

Looks like it was just mainly the supervisor being a dumb fuck. Amazon is claiming that wasn't protocol.

Looks like it was just mainly the supervisor being a dumb fuck. Amazon is claiming that wasn't protocol.

Of course they would claim it's not protocol

Of course they would claim it's not protocol

His schtick is to defend big corps fyi.

lol fake vegy I don't hate you

just you had all those capcom can do no wrong threads back in the day despite hating RE4

what

but

Terry Crews said amazon is good

did.. did Terry lie?!

Yes I only shill for Capcom and sometimes Square mainly as a self admitting fanboy. I call out greedy and scummy business practices all the time. Don't worry I'm not gonna defend Amazon here. It's their dumb ass fault the supervisor didn't know any better.

The supervisor then sent another message, telling the driver to "shelter in place for now, I just got word from Amazon", per the texts seen by Bloomberg, before adding, "give it about 15-20 minutes and then continue as normal."

The driver then told her supervisor in a subsequent message that she was going to return to base in Edwardsville for her own personal safety, adding that there was no place to shelter near her and the storm would be on top of her in 30 minutes, Bloomberg reported.

"If you decided to come back, that choice is yours. But I can tell you it won't be viewed as for your own safety. The safest practice is to stay exactly where you are. If you decide to return with your packages, it will be viewed as you refusing your route, which will ultimately end with you not having a job come tomorrow morning," the supervisor then wrote in the text to the driver, per Bloomberg.

Purely from a customer perspective, I feel like many people would be angry to have their package delivered during a tornado. It's going to get picked up by the storm and lost.

yeah I think my delivery can wait the couple hours or so it takes for a tornado warning to pass by.
it's not like I need an organ transplant.

maybe everyone can add a comment to their orders from Amazon: no don't deliver it during a storm, please, it'll just get damaged anyway. thank you.

If you can see the tornado in the distance, NOAA recommends changing course and driving toward a sturdy shelter as soon as you are able

Are you intentionally ignoring the part where the supervisor told her that it'd count as "refusing her route" and she'd be sacked?

Are you intentionally ignoring the part where the supervisor told her that it'd count as "refusing her route" and she'd be sacked?

If you can see the tornado in the distance, NOAA recommends changing course and driving toward a sturdy shelter as soon as you are able

That potentially saved her life, especially considering the tornado was rain wrapped and could have driven right into it heading back.

Still a fucked up situation though.

Looks like it was just mainly the supervisor being a dumb fuck. Amazon is claiming that wasn't protocol.

1. You don't know the distance she was from the warehouse, you assume it is far because that fits your argument
2. weather.com says to DRIVE. It literally wants you to turn on the engine and DRIVE to find shelter. You are saying that is BAD advice despite being the one to give that link... smh
3. Amazon themselves disagrees with this, but your are too deep into the argument now to back down. Just be a real man and admit you are wrong. You are digging a hole.