Numerous Accounts of Amazon Workers Peeing in Bottles
The Claim
Amazon delivery drivers are forced to pee in plastic bottles because of intense pressure to work quickly.
News posted on
Emerging story
Amazon’s controversial labor practices have made headlines for years. Reports of serious injuries, long hours with few breaks, and anti union tactics have raised alarms among journalists and labor activists. The latest story is about an alleged urban legend that time constraints force many Amazon delivery drivers to urinate in plastic bottles during their routes.
On March 24th, Congressman and Labor Caucus chair Mark Pocan shared a story about Bernie Sanders meeting with Amazon workers and Tweeted, “Paying workers $15/hr doesn't make you a ‘progressive workplace’ when you union-bust & make workers urinate in water bottles.” Amazon News’ official Twitter account responded to him directly. “You don’t really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you?” they said. “If that were true, nobody would work for us. The truth is that we have over a million incredible employees around the world who are proud of what they do, and have great wages and health care from day one.”
People shared the exchange across social media, and voiced their support for Amazon workers.
Misbar’s Analysis
After the exchange, numerous journalists as well as Amazon workers themselves began to publicly confirm these claims. VICE labor reporter Lauren Kaori Gurley quickly picked up the story, sharing a photograph of alleged “pee bottles.” She wrote that Amazon delivery drivers peeing in bottles and coffee cups has been well documented, and is frequently discussed among drivers themselves. One anonymous source said that drivers receive infractions if they have packages left at the end of their shifts, which leads to termination. They described their own experience: “[I usually do it] in a bottle...in the back of the van away from any packages and clean my hands with sanitizer because I understand how gross it is," they said. "I just park off to the side and close the front sliding door."
A Buzzfeed News journalist shared an alleged memo from an Amazon contractor in California which read, “You are responsible in cleaning out your van at the end of your route. This includes garbage bags, and urine bottles." The Intercept reported that despite Amazon’s denial, documents show that the company is aware of drivers peeing in bottles and even defecating en route.
Similar reports have arisen about conditions at Amazon’s warehouses. A 2018 survey from the British workers rights platform Organise reported forced standing through 10-hour shifts, timed bathroom breaks, and abusive management practices. An employee at another Amazon warehouse in Southern California told The Center for Investigative Reporting’s Reveal that workers sometimes continue scanning orders while using the bathroom. She said she came down with multiple urinary tract infections because of the pressure to “make her rate” rather than relieving herself.
This story has been released amidst Alabama employees’ ongoing attempts to unionize, which Amazon aggressively opposes. The Washington Post calls it the biggest labor battle in U.S. history.
