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    Sean BrodyHamilton Nolan
    12/09/14 11:14am

    I can't be the only one actively boycotting Amazon, can I?

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      America's WangSean Brody
      12/09/14 11:15am

      Not anymore you're not.

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      Sean BrodyAmerica's Wang
      12/09/14 11:16am

      It was this for me. Like fuck those guys.

      http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/…

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    SuperstarTrillyGrahamHamilton Nolan
    12/09/14 11:13am

    It's good to see someone finally standing up for America's oppressed corporations.

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      UncleCCClaudiusHamilton Nolan
      12/09/14 11:18am

      This is preposterous. Even more preposterous that the decision is unanimous. If these searches are not a principal activity then workers should refuse them en masse. The searches are meant as intimidation anyway.

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        OT.level7UncleCCClaudius
        12/09/14 11:28am

        You can't refuse it if you want to keep your job. For some (or probably most) that really isn't realistic.

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        Graby SauceUncleCCClaudius
        12/09/14 11:32am

        They need to start walking out every day. Maybe then Bezos will stop the practice or get enough staff to make the line shorter. A half an hour is an unreasonable amount of time to spend doing a REQUIRED, unpaid activity.

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      OMG!PONIES!Hamilton Nolan
      12/09/14 11:16am

      And yet we pay Congress for the time that they spend campaigning instead of actually being in session.

      Yeah... I don't think FLSA is getting changed any time soon.

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        therealquash ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗOMG!PONIES!
        12/09/14 11:20am

        I'm not sure it's entirely the same, since you are comparing salaried workings to hourly workers. The question for me is whether congressional staff workers who are paid by the hour (if any) get paid starting when the arrive and presumably go through some sort of security or when they sit at their desks. I suspect it is the latter.

        The problem is for most places that have security like this, it is probably a nominal time outlay. At Amazon it's a half an hour every day... not at all nominal.

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      sour duckHamilton Nolan
      12/09/14 11:16am

      I don't know anything about anything but if SCOTUS did say they should be paid, wouldn't that open up the gate for a lot of other things too? Such as: employers paying for work commute, workers paying for lunch breaks, etc.

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        therealquash ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗsour duck
        12/09/14 11:23am

        This was my first thought, too. As a law clerk, I went through security every morning. I was salaried but there were people there who were hourly. They clocked in when they got to their desks, not when they arrived at the building. Pretty standard.

        The difference is the time outlay is much different: a few minutes compared to a half an hour every day. Whether the law should see it differently is one thing, but fuck Amazon, man.

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        Cherith Cutestorysour duck
        12/09/14 11:26am

        No because it could easily be limited.

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      America's WangHamilton Nolan
      12/09/14 11:15am

      Absolute bullshit. Goodbye Amazon.

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        GlutenFreeAmerica's Wang
        12/09/14 11:18am

        You could try doing something about the law you don't like, because if Amazon's competitors don't have similar policies they will in 3...2...1...

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        America's WangGlutenFree
        12/09/14 11:21am

        Yeah that'd be real principled to whine about the law but keeping shoving my money into Bezos' pocket.

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      ARP2Hamilton Nolan
      12/09/14 11:43am

      There have been ongoing cases around "donning and doffing" for decades. To date, the court has generally decided with business that said that the process to get ready for work by putting on and taking off uniforms or safety gear should not be covered. The primary reason for their decision is that it didn't take that long.

      However there is a case rolling around in the courts where a mine requires people to shower after a shift, in addition to safety gear. So, it can take a while to remove all your gear, shower, and get dressed (i.e. back to your pre-work status). So, I suspect there will eventually be a case where the amount of time it takes to get ready or leave is so long, they ought to be compensated.

      As a compromise and with a view of existing decisions- anything more than .25 hours should be compensated given that's often the increment on hourly pay.

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        pedal-forceARP2
        12/09/14 12:25pm

        This really isn't rocket science. Here's my text for the law:

        Any worker currently under the control of an employer doing an action above and beyond that which would be normally required of a worker in any field, shall be paid for said time.

        If you're putting on make up at home, or commuting, or walking to the building, or any of that, that isn't covered because it's normal stuff. Being required to change clothes, or shower, or put on safety equipment, or go through security, or anything else, is not normal, and you should get paid.

        I can accept the .25 hour thing as a compromise, but that's per day total, not per activity. So 7.5 minutes morning and 7.5 minutes afternoon, for example. Any more is too much. But really, once I'm on your work property, I'm working, because otherwise I'd be doing something else with my time (lunch not withstanding).

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      CarlySparklesHamilton Nolan
      12/09/14 11:52am

      blah blah bootstraps blah blah college blah blah find a new job

      I would say it would be much easier for everyone to just treat everyone in every profession like equals, but WHERE WOULD THE FUN AND SUPERIORITY BE IN THAT?

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        gogobearkinjaCarlySparkles
        12/09/14 2:48pm

        Because everyone aren't equals - hence why people get different pay for different work.

        Not everyone has the same value to the company they work for. And salaries reflect that.

        You get paid what it takes to get you to come to work. And nobody owes you more than that. The government SHOULD mandate that the minimum is a living wage, but above that - it all comes down to what it will take to get you to come to work.

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        CarlySparklesgogobearkinja
        12/09/14 3:03pm

        i'm not saying everyone should get the same wage, i'm saying people have the jobs they have, and sometimes those jobs suck, but they shouldn't be looked down on for it.

        I worked in fast food for almost 3 years, and was told numerous times that I was worthless and contributing nothing to society, even though I paid taxes on that shitty income.

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      Graby SauceHamilton Nolan
      12/09/14 11:41am

      People looking for an alternative should consider shopping at CostCo. The starting wage there is $11.50 an hour, the average employee wage is $21 per hour, 88% of their employees have health benefits, they refuse to open on Thanksgiving Day to give their employees time with their families, and the CEO makes about 1/4 Walmart's CEO. I got a membership there earlier this year, and I've been quite pleased with the products I'm able to get there in bulk. Some locations even have gas for cheaper than the going rate.

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        Nemesis0999Graby Sauce
        12/09/14 12:07pm

        I love Costco and the fact they care about the employees. Not sure if it is still true but they also had very low turnover and when I go it feels like the employees are trying to help me. I was a member of Sam's Club for a while and I felt like the people there didn't care as they would gather in a circle and talk with 15 people in line for the single open register. Why did they not care because they were underpaid and probably the quickest hires they could get due to the turnover.

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        Graby SauceNemesis0999
        12/09/14 1:11pm

        Indeed. It really matters to the customer experience that employees like their jobs.

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      WoobyHamilton Nolan
      12/09/14 11:15am

      This is bullshit, I can't imagine how horrible this is, a petition needs to be started and Amazon needs to value its employees time. This is the busiest season for these workers, they should be paid for every moment they are in that building.

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        Ginga NinjaWooby
        12/09/14 11:36am

        I'm all for that, but people need to realize that Amazon does this to keep consumer costs down. If Amazon is going to pay their workers more than the consumers are going to pay more for products. I'm willing to pay a little more for something if I know the workers are being fairly compensated, but I bet there's a pretty big subset of Americans who aren't.

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        Hingle McCringleberryWooby
        12/09/14 12:34pm

        NO. A petition means that Amazon might voluntarily change its decision. It's not a permanent solution, and it's not one that affects other retailers. And those that are surprised by this decision don't understand the law. The supreme court upheld that there is nothing illegal about what Amazon is doing, and THAT is the problem. The way the law is written, you aren't paid for something that isn't a "principle activity". Which is stupid. What we need is to have the LAW re-written to clarify the language and include items where an employer requires you be present even when you aren't performing your principle activity. Pressure your lawmakers!

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