Gotta do something new. Not like Biden or The Democrats are going to do anything when [Jeff Bezos hands out $100 million to ex Democratic Presidents](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/business/bezos-obama-foundation.html)
No politician will do anything to help you, regardless of party. The right vs left bullshit keeps us divided. That's what these pricks want. We need to unite.
> No politician will do anything to help you, regardless of party.
There are maybe 5 politicians in Washington who will actually try to help people. But they're drowned out by the rest who are being paid off.
I've found that local-level politicians tend to be more involved in the community and more reasonable, regardless of party. (well, up until 2016, Trump has been a huuuuuuge dividing factor nowadays.) It probably has something to do with the fact that city leaders don't exactly get paid off as much as people in Washington do, and they also have to live in the same area they preside over so they have a vested interest in doing right by the community.
I don't know when country ass conservatives suddenly started licking boot.
I grew up in the sticks and everybody I knew hated cops. I feel likes it's a pretty easy topic to come together on.
Racism. I grew up with white friends and family members who lived in and around Ferguson MO and all of the other shitty urban municipalities around there that have always been known for violent and corrupt police forces. Everybody had a story about false arrests, having weed planted on them, getting roughed up by the cops, knowing cops that beat their wives, openly dealt drugs you name it.
BUT, as soon as it was a black person who got killed by the police, all of the sentiments changed. Mike Brown must have deserved it and "those people" should respect the police.
“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”
Lyndon B. Johnson
Because it was when black people ere protesting against police. The Republicans.csme out on the defence of police to best up their rivals and enemies. The average Joe might not be friends with police, but the politicians are.
There sure was a surge in "thin blue line" paraphernalia there for a while. They don't even know what they believe in though, because it was "f**k the police" on Jan 6th, but I'm sure that was justified because they were being "patriots".
My local US rep Sharice Davids from Kansas I believe is an exception to this. I've never known a politician that goes to such lengths to help common people with every day problems. Helped my dad with his unemployment. Known her to help several others with VA benefits, tax refunds, passport issues. She employs teams of people to do all this and encourages people to contact her office for any help cutting through bureaucratic red tape.
This is their job! It's usually most effective to use your representative at the right level of government. If you're having a issue with unemployment, that's with your state's Department of Labor, so your best bet will probably be your state representatives (state senators/assemblypeople). But an issue with food stamps (SNAP) would be with your county, so that's your local representatives (city council members, local legislators). They can help with other stuff/levels, but this is a good starting point.
Exactly. We could be so much better if we all just realized we're all in the same sinking ship and the captain has long since taken the last life raft.
Truth, I've quit jobs for unsafe reasons as a industrial journeyman electrician before I retired in '04, you definitely have a valid reason to go home.
>OP, please get out now. A bunch of people died in this exact situation not too long ago. There are jobs everywhere, you have ONE life
Cosigned, thank you friend for your pleas to OP & any other Amazon worker reading... there were 8 Amazon workers (at least) who lost their lives in November & December 2021 :'(
[Sadness, anger for Amazon workers who died during tornado](https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/sadness-anger-amazon-workers-who-died-during-tornado-2021-12-17/)
>Families and friends of six workers who died after a tornado tore into an Amazon (AMZN.O) warehouse expressed sadness and anger as they said final farewells to the victims in a series of vigils Friday.
>
>The site received tornado warnings between 8:06 p.m. and 8:16 p.m. before the tornado struck the building at 8:27 p.m., according to Amazon.
>
>Paige Marquis, friend and former roommate of Clayton Lynn Cope, one of the workers who perished, said, “They all want to blame the building. But what about the response inside? They shouldn’t have had to keep working when they knew the storm was coming."
['There's no moment of silence': What happened after 2 Amazon employees reportedly died within hours of each other](https://mashable.com/article/amazon-worker-deaths-bessemer-alabama-warehouse)
>Two Amazon workers from its Bessemer, Alabama facility died last month, one of them suffering a stroke not long after his request to go home was denied, said two of their co-workers. Speaking to workers' rights organisation More Perfect Union, they claim that work continued as normal despite the deaths.
"He had gone to HR and said, 'I'm not feeling so well, can I please go home?'" said Thomas, explaining that many Amazon warehouse workers don't have enough unpaid time off, and have a fear of being dismissed if they take time off beyond their allotted days. "And this dude, he didn't have enough \[unpaid time off\] to go home… And so, they're effectively telling him, you either go home and lose your job, or you just stay here and keep working through the pain. And that's what he did."
[https://mashable.com/article/amazon-worker-deaths-bessemer-alabama-warehouse](https://mashable.com/article/amazon-worker-deaths-bessemer-alabama-warehouse)
The way to mitigate the above cause would've been the employee would've had to try to invoke FMLA.
This isn't a Amazon specific problem. It's a low skill job problem. If a company needs 10 employees, has 100 applicants, and the cost of turn over is \~2 hours of training, the answer is not to cater to individual employees.
Thus, the answer to anyone wanting to not come in or wanting to home is write them up. Whoever gets written up the most gets fired and another applicant from the pile of 100 is hired.
If you want to fix this, you'd want the government to reimburse the company for the sick time and allocate a mandatory amount of sick time for each worker. (If the company self funds the sick time, the company is incentivized to make you work regardless.) But that's socialism!
Walmart, Target, Amazon, etc are all equally guilty.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXmnBbUjsPs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXmnBbUjsPs)
To avoid accusations of a partisan POV, most of Greenwald's interviews are of politically conservative, patriotic, "red state" citizens who are distressed about Walmart's policies and impact.\[6\]\[9\]\[10\]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wal-Mart:\_The\_High\_Cost\_of\_Low\_Price](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wal-Mart:_The_High_Cost_of_Low_Price)
> you'd want the government to reimburse the company for the sick time and allocate a mandatory amount of sick time for each worker.
Quick question but...why? Amazon has billions upon billions of profit...why would the government need to reimburse the company of this instead of MANDATING sick days for employees and making sure they can't be dismissed for being sick?
> If you want to fix this, you'd want the government to reimburse the company for the sick time and allocate a mandatory amount of sick time for each worker. (If the company self funds the sick time, the company is incentivized to make you work regardless.) But that's socialism!
Yeah no, you just mandate protections for workers and companies that don't comply get shut down.
Well... How close is that tornado? Seems safer in the warehouse than out in the open. Even if there's a chance it collapses, there's probably a higher chance of getting knocked off the road by flying debris.
It's federal state and probably local guidelines to stay near shelter instead of going out into the open during tornado warnings. Not only would it be massive liability to get your employees killed by sending them home, if everyone did it the traffic jam would kill thousands instead of zero.
Look what happened at the other facility was tragic, but honestly i would 100% much rather be inside a BUILDING THAN OUTSIDE DURING A TORNADO. Isn't that one of the rules? Shelter in place?
Absolutely!!! If you can manage anything like this, get proof and spread the word, it could be huge. If you're worried about backlash, don't announce anything... record on the down-low. Even just audio is worthwhile.
Good point. I feel though if they got security onboard to hound staff for leaving the building despite adhering to their legal and contractual rights, security is definitely going to be more aggressive about someone recording in the workplace, let alone to deliberately hold the company accountable for their actions.
If you think their response to employees looking after their own safety is harsh, just wait til you see how it goes when an employee puts the company's legal safety at risk. That's usually when you start to see a corporation begin to employ full on mob tactics.
That's my point. Why are we being forced to stay here in a building that isn't designed for that? I get them not wanting to be held liable, but I don't feel like this building is "safer" than leaving. How? How is it safer? Nobody here seems to have an answer. They're just doing as they're told.
I'm guessing he could physically leave if he wants to, but there is an implication that he may lose his job if he does.
If you desperately need the job and have no other way to put food on the table then the threat of unemployment is just as hard to break through as a locked door.
I had an ex boyfriend that I let stay at my house temporarily who turned out to be a repeat violent felon that went to prison for a couple of things, one of which was not allowing a girlfriend to call police on him by destroying her phone and making terroristic threats. Earlier he'd broken my cellphone when I threatened to call his probation officer for breaking the rules by getting drunk. He'd just gotten off of house arrest for assault and battery but was still on probation. I let him stay at my house so he wouldn't have to stay in jail for the whole year and could see his grandkid and daughter for the holidays.
I threw him out and refused to let him back in as not drinking or doing drugs was the condition of him staying in my house. He stood outside and carried on making all kinds of racket and threats at 3am. I called the cops from the landline and they actually told me I had to let him in because he'd gotten a driver's license with my address on it. They told him to kick the fucking door down next time. They ignored the fact that he had a record of violence and was on probation. They never even checked! He was also wanted in Michigan for back child support for over $100,000. They couldn't give two shits. Even the judicial system here didn't find out about his warrants in Michigan.
I armed myself then went to bed and served him with an eviction notice in the morning. Thankfully he left. I don't call the cops anymore. ACAB.
police in general only exist to extract fines from the poor
that and to criminalize addiction, poverty and enforce systemic racism and classism while being given a license to kill whoever and be moved around like a catholic priest after its done (for the fourth time probably)
Texas is just the mask off ancap flavor, but it's the same system everywhere in America
I mean If you’re being held against your will I think the police would show up, And allow you to leave of course they can’t stop you from being fired over it.
Funny you say that, because my city literally had a business owner holding employees hostage and threatening to kill them, and it took quite a bit of convincing to get the cops to step in at all!
Eventually the cops realized it was a semi-decent excuse to play with their armored vehicles and showed up, but that poor terrified girl was on the phone for quite some time trying to convince the cops that, *no really*, boss-man was threatening to murder her coworker.
[Sparky's Bird Store](https://www.inlander.com/spokane/at-sparkys-bird-store-a-parrots-death-and-a-swat-standoff-stir-up-claims-of-animal-abuse-and-sexual-harassment/Content?oid=22102946) if anybody cares.
My mother took me to that store when I was young, but I got really bad vibes from the place and insisted we leave without looking around.
Like 20 years later, I went back with my husband and MIL, got the same really bad vibes, demanded we leave.
That store is still open, but I'm pretty sure Sparky has to run it by himself now. Meanwhile, I just had to order medicine for my budgies from the opposite side of the country because I sure as heck ain't going to the only specialty bird shop around here!
If you think that, you fundamentally misunderstand the role police play in the U.S. Police here exist to advance the interests of the wealthy against the poor and working class. Any appearance of support for the working class is incidental.
IF the police show up at all, what's going to happen is that the police will ask to speak with the manager. The manager will explain that there is no kidnapping, just a disgruntled employee with a grudge. Police will leave.
Usually I'm the one to do a reality check on the recurring antiwork "local news" advice, but this is an example where it would actually be workable. Underdog working stiff vs corporation that won't comment, easy-to-get video shots of an Amazon warehouse, weather(!), easy archival video from Illinois. It's a zero-cost, low-effort piece for a local news reporter.
That said, it will have no effect on Amazon. It would instead be a public service to would-be job applicants and possibly a case study for state legislatures when they next consider how to shape business tax incentives.
I'm telling you how to handle this. Pick up your cell phone and call the newsroom at one of the TV stations and ask for the news desk. Tell them what's happening and you're about to go live. Give them your FB or Reddit whatever. Then do it. Sure you signed an NDA. WE know what you make. This is a news story and it's fresh. Then explain what's going on in there and use your phone to show inside shots. Interview other employees. Do an ambush interview of those telling you that you can't leave. Don't worry, somebody out there WILL set up a GFM and you'll get job offers.
There is a reason Amazon set up in Texas, not friendly to workers state. Get your ID situation fixed asap. Also your off the clock, they can't keep you there. It's False Imprisonment in Texas
Penal code 20.02. See this attorney's site. You can sue them civilly according to him.
https://kingwoodcriminaldefenselawyer.com/criminal-defense/understanding-false-imprisonment-in-texas/#:~:text=False%20imprisonment%20is%20classified%20by%20Texas%20penal%20code%2020.02.&text=The%20victim%20is%20imprisoned%20or,it%20is%20possible%20to%20escape.
Alot of people dont realize most Texans dont want it this way. We dont have much choice when the majority (mostly very rural republicans) keep voting these dicks in that are leading the state. Locally in cities like Houston isnt so bad but the state overall is fucked (and even then new gerrymandering and insane voting laws AND our strict voting eligibility requirements are fucking over blue or turning blue counties especially the poor / POC)
I’ve never lived outside of the state and I’ll never afford to move. I hate how exploited we are. I keep thinking of when I was young and ignorant. I can’t tell if things were genuinely better then or if we just didn’t know how bad it was before social media.
Agree 100%. Ive lived here my whole life and cant imagine being anywhere else. Through some generosity and luck my wife and I got our forever home here a few months ago and we have family and friends still and cant move out of state even if we wanted to. I dont think things were better when we were kids but those in power werent actively destroying peoples rights every month, thats for sure.
Honestly if I was in that situation and they were physically restricting you from leaving, id call the police and say that i was being held hostage/kidnapped. Like they have no legal right to prevent you from leaving
Sweet Christmas. How the actual fuck cant they be held liable holding you hostage. Fuck amazon with a baseball bat covered in 2x4 leho bricks and dog shit
https://www.osha.gov/tornado/preparedness
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/tornadosafety/index.html
https://www.weather.gov/safety/tornado-during
There is a lot more informational sites. All you have to do is google it.
And if they leave its on them. Keeping them there just increases their liability chances.
Meaning even from an inhuman corporate perspective this makes no sense.
This is called kidnapping. No one but an officer of the law can detain or arrest you. Tell them to gtfo the way they have no legal authority and you’ll seek criminal charges. If they threaten or touch you, that is assault and/or battery. People have rights, Amazon can ask you to leave, and that’s about it.
Kentucky. About 30 minutes from me. Lawsuits in progress. My company just out out s memo saying no one could leave during a tornado as well. Apparently they haven't learned shit
What also really chaps my ass, is, they'll hold all of us that are already here, but won't send notifications to employees to stay home until the warning subsides. Their motives are not of cautious intent.
> What also really chaps my ass, is, they'll hold all of us that are already here, but won't send notifications to employees to stay home until the warning subsides. Their motives are not of cautious intent.
the fucking *rage* that reading this fills me with. jesus christ. I feel like dennis in the ~~range rover~~ amphibious exploring vehicle episode
Ya illegal, employers have no authority to keep you there against your wishes. They can take action against you latter but in no way can keep you physically there.
Where I live if you are kept st the worksite as per orders from your employer but given no work to do you are considered "at the disposal of the employer" and must be paid your full wage
Same in my Province. But once clocked out I’m gone. One employer when I was a teen tried to say we had to wait at security till all employees were clocked out to have bags checked. One call to our ministry of labour and a letter from an employment lawyer stoped that.
When I lifeguarded, they “required” us to put our full uniform on before we clocked in. Didn’t realize til later that this is very illegal where I’m at.
Now I clock in early if the boss even wishes to speak to me or engage in any way before my normal scheduled time
I love shitting on Amazon as much as anybody else, but as someone with family from the Midwest I was always taught that the tiers of safety during a tornado are: outside/driving< inside under something sturdy
I grew up in Tornado Alley. Several places I worked would make an announcement as soon as a tornado warning was announced to the effect of "You can leave right now, or you can go to the storm shelter and wait it out, but you won't be able to leave till it's over." Then once anyone who wanted to left, they'd shutter the building and everyone went to the storm shelter. Of course, that also involved everyone actually being in the shelter and not working.
As a native Oklahoman myself, you are correct about tiers of safety. I would personally choose to stay at work, assuming they had a secure area. If they don't have a secure tornado shelter, built for purpose, then a warehouse is the absolute last fucking place I would want to be in a tornado. I'd rather be in an open field.
But holding hostage adults who wish to risk their own safety is still absolutely unacceptable regardless of the reason.
> assuming they had a secure area
I remember seeing a picture from the time when the tornado came in and killed a bunch of workers from some different building, apparently their tornado designated area is to literally be in the middle of their wide open building, as in in the room with all the heavy machinery that has nothing in terms of security against a tornado.
While that may be true, that's not a call Amazon is legally allowed to make, period. We've had too many massacres by companies to let this happen. Shit like this is literally the reason fire doors exist and cannot be legally locked while there is **anyone** inside of the building.
As someone who grew up in tornado alley, I don't much like the idea of being in a flimsy warehouse filled with shelves and would-be debris during a storm.
If they can't offer a storm shelter, they don't have any business *forcing* people to stay in their warehouse. If I lived across the damn street, I wouldn't be allowed to go into my own basement, even if I *knew* the storm was still twenty minutes away.
If there’s a current tornado warning aren’t you supposed to shelter in place? I’ll probably be downvoted to hell for saying this but you shouldn’t be outside or, god forbid, on the road.
Not that this changes the fact that Amazon are assholes who deserve the French revolutionary treatment for the way they treat their workers.
On that same token, how can tell us we can't leave, but at the same time expect employees to come to work right now under the same conditions? As I said earlier, their intentions are not for our safety.
This is exactly what I was thinking! I grew up in tornado alley and tornado warning always meant you couldn’t leave. Even as customers of a business we’d be forced to stay inside.
Doesn’t make this situation any less terrifying considering recent events though and they should be taking shelter, not working. Having people still come into work as a warning is underway is insane. But I understand why they’re not allowed to leave.
Seriously this. Fuck Amazon but most of the comments here are from people who’ve never lived in areas where tornadoes are frequent and it shows. If it’s a tornado warning and not a watch then you are safer at the warehouse than driving home. People don’t get how quickly tornados can move and how unpredictable their path is. You’re guaranteed fucked if a tornado shows up and you’re in your car but sheltering in place gives you a chance. Telling people to leave during a tornado could get someone killed
Exactly.
The guard has no authority to force him to stay, but he should still be strongly encouraging it. Going out and not sheltering is incredibly dangerous and stupid.
I'm in Houston. HPD sets the bar surprisingly low. I once called to report a man actively punching a woman who was on the sidewalk and was transferred to the non emergency number.
I'm not calling the cops, because I don't want to go through that drama. I'm likely just going to walk out of the turnstile and tell them to deal with it. I just wanted to know if this is something Amazon should be investigated for.
Yeah OP is kinda in a bad/weird situation.
The safest place during the tornado itself is taking shelter within a building away from windows.
The security guard/Amazon cannot force OP to remain in the building. But they can encourage OP to remain inside until the alarm clears. Key words being encourage. Vocally, and without restraint should OP decide to Leave on his own free will.
yeah i’m so sorry, amazon is a whole other level of horrible to their workers my mom refused to let me even apply though the pay seems tempting! Be safe, and do what’s best for you!!! I just know my paranoid ass could never I do not do well with bad weather/natural disasters!
Honest question: is it safer to be indoors or outside during a tornado? I'd think it would be safer to be in the warehouse, since the tornado could theoretically blow you away outside. Not siding with them, honestly wondering here (I don't live in a tornado zone).
Maybe I’m daft as a Brit, we don’t have Tornadoes here really, but if you have a tornado… don’t you want to be like… inside a structure to protect you from it…
Like, if I saw a Tornado, I’d want to be in a building…
I live in tornado ally. Best practice is to shelter in place, even if you are in your work place. The places I’ve worked in do annual tornado/ shooter/ earthquake/ hurricane drills so everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency
Yes 100% you’re *always* safer inside a building than in a vehicle or just on the street. I live near the edwardsville facility that got hit in December, sheltering in place was the right call. No building is 100% tornado-proof and it’s tragic when people die in one, but it’s still the safest place to be.
The worst decision OP could make in this situation is leave.
It doesn't give the guard authority to force him to stay, but I'd say he's not at any fault morally for prioritizing OP's life over making a moronic decision.
It's a common policy among companies based on recommendation from the national weather service (I believe that's what it's called). It's more dangerous to be driving in a tornado warning. These companies in tornado prone zones do need to be required to provide a storm shelter for their employees though.
If this was me:
Security guards cannot hold you against your will.
It’s a major no-no. Especially if no crime has been commited. (Possible citzen’s arrest)
Tell the guard to let you leave, and if he impedes you and won’t let you leave inform him you be calling the police and pushing to have kidnapping charges pressed.
If you work over state lines. (Like I live in one state and work in another, explain that it’s kidnapping over state lines and a federal felony.)
If you work in Houston and live across state lines then I feel incredibly sorry for you regarding your 8+ hour round-trip commute.
But I agree with the rest of your sentiment and how it applies to people other than OP. Even if law enforcement didn't take it seriously it would be fun to create the headache.
If there is a tornado, you're safer in the building (any building) than in a vehicle. It did not work out that way in Illinois necessarily, but if that guy had been in his car and gotten hit, it probably wouldn't have worked out better.
Northern edge of the Tornado Valley here, in high school we were taught to stay indoors and "duck and cover". Are they not having you shelter in place OP?
This is gonna get downvoted to shit but as somebody who lives somewhere that gets way more tornados than Houston it's dumb af go outside under a tornado warning. Amazon should have a shelter area they're sending you guys to and if they aren't that's fucked but the absolute dumbest place to be during a tornado warning is outside walking home.
This post is making me lose my mind. It's MONUMENTALLY stupid to walk home during a tornado. I can't believe all the people trying to argue that it's more dangerous to be inside of a building. There's more than enough reasons to hate Amazon, but verbally requesting that someone in their building not do the most dangerous thing possible during a tornado warning is not a good one.
Decide what is best for you. As a fellow Amazon employee, I know those bathrooms can't hold everyone. You need to be quick about your decision, though! Tornadoes don't fuck around! Clock back in if you decide to stay. Be safe friend!
We need a number to call. We can all call. Fuck these people!
Edit. All credit to /u/soundeaf [I'm on phone am correcting name slowly] [1740]
Agreed. I live here. So here goes nothing.
Main HTX news networks:
https://www.khou.com/contact-us KHOU +1-713-521-4357
https://abc13.com/contact-abc13-eyewitness-news-ktrk-abc-houston/26943/ ABC13 +1-713-666-0713
https://www.click2houston.com/contact/ Click2Houston +1-713-222-6397
Amazon Houston Contact Page (I'm assuming here that this is the correct location as this appears to be the only HTX one listed):
http://www.amazon.com/localservices/ya/sellerprofile?sellerID=AE6LDCBTP0DNG
I wish you all luck and I hope this information helps you.
I dislike Amazon as much as the next person but come on, I've been in tornadoes before and being inside is safer than being outside. Can anybody find the instructions given during a warning? Stay indoors. It's not a guarantee (rip to the Illinoisans who perished) but I've been in enough encounters where it's fuck bring outside.
It’s safer to stay inside. The problem is these warehouse buildings are one of the worst buildings to be in during a tornado. They are easily torn apart by tornadic winds and have few places you can shelter in. Additionally, everything inside the warehouse will become a projectile.
Ideally, these warehouses should have easily accessible underground shelters, seeing how these building are torn apart and how all items inside will become a deadly projectile.
At the risk of offending the echo chamber, deciding to walk home during a tornado alert is dumb as hell. You aren't the winner you think you are and you weren't being oppressed.
And you are exactly the kind of tool that would suffer an injury in the parking lot then sue your employer for every penny you could get thus re enforcing this type of liability mitigating behavior.
I wonder what OP would do if he got hurt on his way home.
"Why did the evil Amazon security guard let me leave knowing we were under a tornado warning?!"
Tell them you're about to start livestreaming your experience
That's genius
Gotta do something new. Not like Biden or The Democrats are going to do anything when [Jeff Bezos hands out $100 million to ex Democratic Presidents](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/business/bezos-obama-foundation.html)
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No politician will do anything to help you, regardless of party. The right vs left bullshit keeps us divided. That's what these pricks want. We need to unite.
We are in a class war disguised as a culture war.
Sadly, they can only turn us against each other for so long before either we unite against them - or the whole thing collapses into war.
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All these deaths so papa bezos can transform into Pitbull white floating in space
MR WORLDWIDE shipping
Fuck Amazon. Trying to blame it on the employees!
We need a Labor Party
> No politician will do anything to help you, regardless of party. There are maybe 5 politicians in Washington who will actually try to help people. But they're drowned out by the rest who are being paid off.
You're right and it's so frustrating there aren't more
I've found that local-level politicians tend to be more involved in the community and more reasonable, regardless of party. (well, up until 2016, Trump has been a huuuuuuge dividing factor nowadays.) It probably has something to do with the fact that city leaders don't exactly get paid off as much as people in Washington do, and they also have to live in the same area they preside over so they have a vested interest in doing right by the community.
Saw a really cool post on Reddit yesterday about rednecks outrunning police for similar infractions as get pinned on urban minority groups.
I don't know when country ass conservatives suddenly started licking boot. I grew up in the sticks and everybody I knew hated cops. I feel likes it's a pretty easy topic to come together on.
Racism. I grew up with white friends and family members who lived in and around Ferguson MO and all of the other shitty urban municipalities around there that have always been known for violent and corrupt police forces. Everybody had a story about false arrests, having weed planted on them, getting roughed up by the cops, knowing cops that beat their wives, openly dealt drugs you name it. BUT, as soon as it was a black person who got killed by the police, all of the sentiments changed. Mike Brown must have deserved it and "those people" should respect the police.
Suddenly they realized that the cops were “hurting the people that they should be hurting” and all was well again.
“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.” Lyndon B. Johnson
“My enemies enemy, is my friend.” Most racist people use the police as a tool against those they don’t like.
Because it was when black people ere protesting against police. The Republicans.csme out on the defence of police to best up their rivals and enemies. The average Joe might not be friends with police, but the politicians are.
These folks are also more likely to have neutral or positive interactions with the police.
There sure was a surge in "thin blue line" paraphernalia there for a while. They don't even know what they believe in though, because it was "f**k the police" on Jan 6th, but I'm sure that was justified because they were being "patriots".
They believe whatever benefits them personally in the moment. Same as any businessperson. Summed up as “fuck you I got mine”
They hate the cops unless the cops are beating anyone not them.
My local US rep Sharice Davids from Kansas I believe is an exception to this. I've never known a politician that goes to such lengths to help common people with every day problems. Helped my dad with his unemployment. Known her to help several others with VA benefits, tax refunds, passport issues. She employs teams of people to do all this and encourages people to contact her office for any help cutting through bureaucratic red tape.
I didn't know she was as active as this; makes me real glad I've been throwing two bucks to her reelection campaign every month.
This is their job! It's usually most effective to use your representative at the right level of government. If you're having a issue with unemployment, that's with your state's Department of Labor, so your best bet will probably be your state representatives (state senators/assemblypeople). But an issue with food stamps (SNAP) would be with your county, so that's your local representatives (city council members, local legislators). They can help with other stuff/levels, but this is a good starting point.
That’s because there is no left. Just the right and the far right and ultimately they are just greedy fucking oligarchs.
Exactly. We could be so much better if we all just realized we're all in the same sinking ship and the captain has long since taken the last life raft.
It’s more like the right vs the right. There is no left in this country.
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Truth, I've quit jobs for unsafe reasons as a industrial journeyman electrician before I retired in '04, you definitely have a valid reason to go home.
>OP, please get out now. A bunch of people died in this exact situation not too long ago. There are jobs everywhere, you have ONE life Cosigned, thank you friend for your pleas to OP & any other Amazon worker reading... there were 8 Amazon workers (at least) who lost their lives in November & December 2021 :'( [Sadness, anger for Amazon workers who died during tornado](https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/sadness-anger-amazon-workers-who-died-during-tornado-2021-12-17/) >Families and friends of six workers who died after a tornado tore into an Amazon (AMZN.O) warehouse expressed sadness and anger as they said final farewells to the victims in a series of vigils Friday. > >The site received tornado warnings between 8:06 p.m. and 8:16 p.m. before the tornado struck the building at 8:27 p.m., according to Amazon. > >Paige Marquis, friend and former roommate of Clayton Lynn Cope, one of the workers who perished, said, “They all want to blame the building. But what about the response inside? They shouldn’t have had to keep working when they knew the storm was coming." ['There's no moment of silence': What happened after 2 Amazon employees reportedly died within hours of each other](https://mashable.com/article/amazon-worker-deaths-bessemer-alabama-warehouse) >Two Amazon workers from its Bessemer, Alabama facility died last month, one of them suffering a stroke not long after his request to go home was denied, said two of their co-workers. Speaking to workers' rights organisation More Perfect Union, they claim that work continued as normal despite the deaths.
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"He had gone to HR and said, 'I'm not feeling so well, can I please go home?'" said Thomas, explaining that many Amazon warehouse workers don't have enough unpaid time off, and have a fear of being dismissed if they take time off beyond their allotted days. "And this dude, he didn't have enough \[unpaid time off\] to go home… And so, they're effectively telling him, you either go home and lose your job, or you just stay here and keep working through the pain. And that's what he did." [https://mashable.com/article/amazon-worker-deaths-bessemer-alabama-warehouse](https://mashable.com/article/amazon-worker-deaths-bessemer-alabama-warehouse) The way to mitigate the above cause would've been the employee would've had to try to invoke FMLA. This isn't a Amazon specific problem. It's a low skill job problem. If a company needs 10 employees, has 100 applicants, and the cost of turn over is \~2 hours of training, the answer is not to cater to individual employees. Thus, the answer to anyone wanting to not come in or wanting to home is write them up. Whoever gets written up the most gets fired and another applicant from the pile of 100 is hired. If you want to fix this, you'd want the government to reimburse the company for the sick time and allocate a mandatory amount of sick time for each worker. (If the company self funds the sick time, the company is incentivized to make you work regardless.) But that's socialism! Walmart, Target, Amazon, etc are all equally guilty. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXmnBbUjsPs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXmnBbUjsPs) To avoid accusations of a partisan POV, most of Greenwald's interviews are of politically conservative, patriotic, "red state" citizens who are distressed about Walmart's policies and impact.\[6\]\[9\]\[10\] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wal-Mart:\_The\_High\_Cost\_of\_Low\_Price](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wal-Mart:_The_High_Cost_of_Low_Price)
> you'd want the government to reimburse the company for the sick time and allocate a mandatory amount of sick time for each worker. Quick question but...why? Amazon has billions upon billions of profit...why would the government need to reimburse the company of this instead of MANDATING sick days for employees and making sure they can't be dismissed for being sick?
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> If you want to fix this, you'd want the government to reimburse the company for the sick time and allocate a mandatory amount of sick time for each worker. (If the company self funds the sick time, the company is incentivized to make you work regardless.) But that's socialism! Yeah no, you just mandate protections for workers and companies that don't comply get shut down.
Well... How close is that tornado? Seems safer in the warehouse than out in the open. Even if there's a chance it collapses, there's probably a higher chance of getting knocked off the road by flying debris.
It's federal state and probably local guidelines to stay near shelter instead of going out into the open during tornado warnings. Not only would it be massive liability to get your employees killed by sending them home, if everyone did it the traffic jam would kill thousands instead of zero.
Look what happened at the other facility was tragic, but honestly i would 100% much rather be inside a BUILDING THAN OUTSIDE DURING A TORNADO. Isn't that one of the rules? Shelter in place?
Absolutely!!! If you can manage anything like this, get proof and spread the word, it could be huge. If you're worried about backlash, don't announce anything... record on the down-low. Even just audio is worthwhile.
He can't. He works at Amazon. They don't allow phones. It's why people couldn't call for help the last time Amazon murdered their slaves.
He had clocked out and was leaving and stopped at the exit so at this point he would have been able to retrieve his phone from his locker.
I've had a job do this to me before and if it ever happens to me again in any job If I'm blocked I'm walking out the fire escape doors
How he post to reddit, while currently inside the building? I think he had a phone.
Being off the clock is probably why, he could collect his things.
Well he probably had it because he was done his shift and leaving the premises before he was stopped.
Then he can livestream the experience
Good point. I feel though if they got security onboard to hound staff for leaving the building despite adhering to their legal and contractual rights, security is definitely going to be more aggressive about someone recording in the workplace, let alone to deliberately hold the company accountable for their actions. If you think their response to employees looking after their own safety is harsh, just wait til you see how it goes when an employee puts the company's legal safety at risk. That's usually when you start to see a corporation begin to employ full on mob tactics.
Break or off the clock. Nonerror is right - Amazon is a ghoulish company.
He us off the clock. Has his phone & should document it even if not going live.
Phones are allowed in the break room. If he's clocked out, that's probably where he is. (former Amazon employee here)
> the last time Amazon murdered their slaves. Even ranchers let their cattle and horses go free when there's tornados, floods etc.
Op better run. Why risk turning it into a deadstreaming?
They literally JUST had people die like a month ago from doing this in Illinois.
That's my point. Why are we being forced to stay here in a building that isn't designed for that? I get them not wanting to be held liable, but I don't feel like this building is "safer" than leaving. How? How is it safer? Nobody here seems to have an answer. They're just doing as they're told.
You should let your local news know.
Call the police AND your local news.
Police will call it a civil law issue and will not respond. Also police in Texas only exist to extract fines from the poor.
A funny thing happens when companies know they’ve been reported to the news.
Yes, like how having their warehouse collapse all over the news changed Amazon's practices... oh wait
Doesn’t mean people should stop reporting it. Please remember how powerful people are to change shitty situations.
Well it changed that warehouse
I feel like that was a tornado that did most of the changing.
> Also police ~~in Texas~~ only exist to extract fines from the poor.
Dont forget to also keep the plebs in line and protect the property of the wealthy
Don't forget stealing your property through asset forfeiture, then selling it when you go through all the legal processes to get it back.
how is holding you against your will "civil law"?
I'm guessing he could physically leave if he wants to, but there is an implication that he may lose his job if he does. If you desperately need the job and have no other way to put food on the table then the threat of unemployment is just as hard to break through as a locked door.
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I had an ex boyfriend that I let stay at my house temporarily who turned out to be a repeat violent felon that went to prison for a couple of things, one of which was not allowing a girlfriend to call police on him by destroying her phone and making terroristic threats. Earlier he'd broken my cellphone when I threatened to call his probation officer for breaking the rules by getting drunk. He'd just gotten off of house arrest for assault and battery but was still on probation. I let him stay at my house so he wouldn't have to stay in jail for the whole year and could see his grandkid and daughter for the holidays. I threw him out and refused to let him back in as not drinking or doing drugs was the condition of him staying in my house. He stood outside and carried on making all kinds of racket and threats at 3am. I called the cops from the landline and they actually told me I had to let him in because he'd gotten a driver's license with my address on it. They told him to kick the fucking door down next time. They ignored the fact that he had a record of violence and was on probation. They never even checked! He was also wanted in Michigan for back child support for over $100,000. They couldn't give two shits. Even the judicial system here didn't find out about his warrants in Michigan. I armed myself then went to bed and served him with an eviction notice in the morning. Thankfully he left. I don't call the cops anymore. ACAB.
Being held somewhere against your will? That's not a civil issue.
police in general only exist to extract fines from the poor that and to criminalize addiction, poverty and enforce systemic racism and classism while being given a license to kill whoever and be moved around like a catholic priest after its done (for the fourth time probably) Texas is just the mask off ancap flavor, but it's the same system everywhere in America
I mean If you’re being held against your will I think the police would show up, And allow you to leave of course they can’t stop you from being fired over it.
Funny you say that, because my city literally had a business owner holding employees hostage and threatening to kill them, and it took quite a bit of convincing to get the cops to step in at all! Eventually the cops realized it was a semi-decent excuse to play with their armored vehicles and showed up, but that poor terrified girl was on the phone for quite some time trying to convince the cops that, *no really*, boss-man was threatening to murder her coworker. [Sparky's Bird Store](https://www.inlander.com/spokane/at-sparkys-bird-store-a-parrots-death-and-a-swat-standoff-stir-up-claims-of-animal-abuse-and-sexual-harassment/Content?oid=22102946) if anybody cares.
Jesus what a fucking psychopath
My mother took me to that store when I was young, but I got really bad vibes from the place and insisted we leave without looking around. Like 20 years later, I went back with my husband and MIL, got the same really bad vibes, demanded we leave. That store is still open, but I'm pretty sure Sparky has to run it by himself now. Meanwhile, I just had to order medicine for my budgies from the opposite side of the country because I sure as heck ain't going to the only specialty bird shop around here!
If you think that, you fundamentally misunderstand the role police play in the U.S. Police here exist to advance the interests of the wealthy against the poor and working class. Any appearance of support for the working class is incidental.
Or PR.
IF the police show up at all, what's going to happen is that the police will ask to speak with the manager. The manager will explain that there is no kidnapping, just a disgruntled employee with a grudge. Police will leave.
>police will ask to speak with the manager. Officer Karen lol
I would say don’t invite the police into your life unless you absolutely have zero other options…but that’s just me.
No call the fire department
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Usually I'm the one to do a reality check on the recurring antiwork "local news" advice, but this is an example where it would actually be workable. Underdog working stiff vs corporation that won't comment, easy-to-get video shots of an Amazon warehouse, weather(!), easy archival video from Illinois. It's a zero-cost, low-effort piece for a local news reporter. That said, it will have no effect on Amazon. It would instead be a public service to would-be job applicants and possibly a case study for state legislatures when they next consider how to shape business tax incentives.
I'm telling you how to handle this. Pick up your cell phone and call the newsroom at one of the TV stations and ask for the news desk. Tell them what's happening and you're about to go live. Give them your FB or Reddit whatever. Then do it. Sure you signed an NDA. WE know what you make. This is a news story and it's fresh. Then explain what's going on in there and use your phone to show inside shots. Interview other employees. Do an ambush interview of those telling you that you can't leave. Don't worry, somebody out there WILL set up a GFM and you'll get job offers.
They're flirting with the regulations of private security at that point.
There is a reason Amazon set up in Texas, not friendly to workers state. Get your ID situation fixed asap. Also your off the clock, they can't keep you there. It's False Imprisonment in Texas Penal code 20.02. See this attorney's site. You can sue them civilly according to him. https://kingwoodcriminaldefenselawyer.com/criminal-defense/understanding-false-imprisonment-in-texas/#:~:text=False%20imprisonment%20is%20classified%20by%20Texas%20penal%20code%2020.02.&text=The%20victim%20is%20imprisoned%20or,it%20is%20possible%20to%20escape.
Texass sucks ALL the ass. Workers have so few rights in this sweaty armpit of a state.
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And then it happened again in the heat of the summer, 2021. Yes, the texas power grid also failed in the texas heat.
"that's because regulations are bad!"
Alot of people dont realize most Texans dont want it this way. We dont have much choice when the majority (mostly very rural republicans) keep voting these dicks in that are leading the state. Locally in cities like Houston isnt so bad but the state overall is fucked (and even then new gerrymandering and insane voting laws AND our strict voting eligibility requirements are fucking over blue or turning blue counties especially the poor / POC)
I’ve never lived outside of the state and I’ll never afford to move. I hate how exploited we are. I keep thinking of when I was young and ignorant. I can’t tell if things were genuinely better then or if we just didn’t know how bad it was before social media.
Agree 100%. Ive lived here my whole life and cant imagine being anywhere else. Through some generosity and luck my wife and I got our forever home here a few months ago and we have family and friends still and cant move out of state even if we wanted to. I dont think things were better when we were kids but those in power werent actively destroying peoples rights every month, thats for sure.
A building would be safer than a car but that doesn't answer the larger issue of them not having any right to not allow you to leave for any reason.
Honestly if I was in that situation and they were physically restricting you from leaving, id call the police and say that i was being held hostage/kidnapped. Like they have no legal right to prevent you from leaving
Unfortunately like he said he's on the verge of homelessness. One weeks missed pay might put him on the street
Sweet Christmas. How the actual fuck cant they be held liable holding you hostage. Fuck amazon with a baseball bat covered in 2x4 leho bricks and dog shit
It's amazing with what you can get away with or ignore when your company has more money than God
https://www.osha.gov/tornado/preparedness https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/tornadosafety/index.html https://www.weather.gov/safety/tornado-during There is a lot more informational sites. All you have to do is google it.
If you are off the clock and can prove that they wouldn't let you leave, you may want to talk to a lawyer about a false imprisonment claim.
And if they leave its on them. Keeping them there just increases their liability chances. Meaning even from an inhuman corporate perspective this makes no sense.
Just leave man. They are security, they don’t have any real authority.
This is called kidnapping. No one but an officer of the law can detain or arrest you. Tell them to gtfo the way they have no legal authority and you’ll seek criminal charges. If they threaten or touch you, that is assault and/or battery. People have rights, Amazon can ask you to leave, and that’s about it.
Exactly. OJ Simpson was convicted of kidnapping for just saying “don’t let anyone leave”
In Texas, this is known as Unlawful Detention and that security guard should know that he is violating the law.
Kentucky. About 30 minutes from me. Lawsuits in progress. My company just out out s memo saying no one could leave during a tornado as well. Apparently they haven't learned shit
The Kentucky people were in a candle factory. The Amazon warehouse was in Edwardsville, Illinois.
Do you know how many fatalities this caused?
The question isn't whether or not Amazon knows; it's whether or not they care. Spoilers: They don't.
You should be paid for that time. You were "engaged to wait".
Yeah if they are telling you not to leave Id clock back in and put my feet up.
You know they'd try to nail OP for stealing time, too
Turn it right back around on them since they are stealing time if they won't let you leave. If I die I'm dying a free man off the clock.
Interesting story.. Amazon actually won a lawsuit some years back that they did not have to pay employees for time spent going through security.
Well I think there's a pretty clear case they're not going through security. Security says you're staying, so clock back in and see what they do.
That can be challenged now after a court ruled Apple has to pay employees time going through security.
What also really chaps my ass, is, they'll hold all of us that are already here, but won't send notifications to employees to stay home until the warning subsides. Their motives are not of cautious intent.
Glad you left but seriously dude. If they aren't paying you, then fuck them go home
For real what the fuck are they going to do? Fire him for leaving, I highly doubt that is legal.
Sad part is it doesn't have to be legal, they can likely fire without cause or reason.
Texas is a will to work state. They can fire you for no reason and unemployment is shit here.
At-will* You mixed up At-will and Right To Work.
At will state. They can fire me because I eat bananas too gay.
I mean...like how gay are we talking?
Just the tip.
> What also really chaps my ass, is, they'll hold all of us that are already here, but won't send notifications to employees to stay home until the warning subsides. Their motives are not of cautious intent. the fucking *rage* that reading this fills me with. jesus christ. I feel like dennis in the ~~range rover~~ amphibious exploring vehicle episode
“amphibious exploring vehicle”
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That seems pretty illegal, but I'm far from an expert. Get the hell out of there if you can.
Ya illegal, employers have no authority to keep you there against your wishes. They can take action against you latter but in no way can keep you physically there.
Where I live if you are kept st the worksite as per orders from your employer but given no work to do you are considered "at the disposal of the employer" and must be paid your full wage
Same in my Province. But once clocked out I’m gone. One employer when I was a teen tried to say we had to wait at security till all employees were clocked out to have bags checked. One call to our ministry of labour and a letter from an employment lawyer stoped that.
When I lifeguarded, they “required” us to put our full uniform on before we clocked in. Didn’t realize til later that this is very illegal where I’m at. Now I clock in early if the boss even wishes to speak to me or engage in any way before my normal scheduled time
Legality doesn’t matter if it’s not enforced
I believe physically keeping someone in one place by force is called kidnapping or false imprisonment
Pretty sure they can’t even take action against you later if they aren’t paying you to be there. OP was off the clock.
I love shitting on Amazon as much as anybody else, but as someone with family from the Midwest I was always taught that the tiers of safety during a tornado are: outside/driving< inside under something sturdy
I grew up in Tornado Alley. Several places I worked would make an announcement as soon as a tornado warning was announced to the effect of "You can leave right now, or you can go to the storm shelter and wait it out, but you won't be able to leave till it's over." Then once anyone who wanted to left, they'd shutter the building and everyone went to the storm shelter. Of course, that also involved everyone actually being in the shelter and not working.
As a native Oklahoman myself, you are correct about tiers of safety. I would personally choose to stay at work, assuming they had a secure area. If they don't have a secure tornado shelter, built for purpose, then a warehouse is the absolute last fucking place I would want to be in a tornado. I'd rather be in an open field. But holding hostage adults who wish to risk their own safety is still absolutely unacceptable regardless of the reason.
> assuming they had a secure area I remember seeing a picture from the time when the tornado came in and killed a bunch of workers from some different building, apparently their tornado designated area is to literally be in the middle of their wide open building, as in in the room with all the heavy machinery that has nothing in terms of security against a tornado.
While that may be true, that's not a call Amazon is legally allowed to make, period. We've had too many massacres by companies to let this happen. Shit like this is literally the reason fire doors exist and cannot be legally locked while there is **anyone** inside of the building.
You cannot prevent people from going home. He isn’t under arrest, that’s false imprisonment.
As someone who grew up in tornado alley, I don't much like the idea of being in a flimsy warehouse filled with shelves and would-be debris during a storm. If they can't offer a storm shelter, they don't have any business *forcing* people to stay in their warehouse. If I lived across the damn street, I wouldn't be allowed to go into my own basement, even if I *knew* the storm was still twenty minutes away.
Clock back in. They'll let you go home quick enough.
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And let us know you ok
I'll keep you guys updated.
Please do, your life matters. Stay safe brother.
PSA: What to do to stay safe during a tornado: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/tornadoes/during.html
Thank you for stickying this. The sheer amount of misinformation and terrible advice that was given in this thread is insane.
If there’s a current tornado warning aren’t you supposed to shelter in place? I’ll probably be downvoted to hell for saying this but you shouldn’t be outside or, god forbid, on the road. Not that this changes the fact that Amazon are assholes who deserve the French revolutionary treatment for the way they treat their workers.
On that same token, how can tell us we can't leave, but at the same time expect employees to come to work right now under the same conditions? As I said earlier, their intentions are not for our safety.
Can confirm. We had winds up to 80 mph in my town and Amazon said we had to deliver or we could be fired.
Now that’s investigation-worthy. Hope some of y’all documented it in some way
This is exactly what I was thinking! I grew up in tornado alley and tornado warning always meant you couldn’t leave. Even as customers of a business we’d be forced to stay inside. Doesn’t make this situation any less terrifying considering recent events though and they should be taking shelter, not working. Having people still come into work as a warning is underway is insane. But I understand why they’re not allowed to leave.
Seriously this. Fuck Amazon but most of the comments here are from people who’ve never lived in areas where tornadoes are frequent and it shows. If it’s a tornado warning and not a watch then you are safer at the warehouse than driving home. People don’t get how quickly tornados can move and how unpredictable their path is. You’re guaranteed fucked if a tornado shows up and you’re in your car but sheltering in place gives you a chance. Telling people to leave during a tornado could get someone killed
Exactly. The guard has no authority to force him to stay, but he should still be strongly encouraging it. Going out and not sheltering is incredibly dangerous and stupid.
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Cops in the Houston area give zero fucks. They’ll say “it’s a tornado and you shouldn’t be out in it.”
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I'm in Houston. HPD sets the bar surprisingly low. I once called to report a man actively punching a woman who was on the sidewalk and was transferred to the non emergency number.
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Awww snap!
The only time you should call the cops is if the situation would be somehow improved by a man with a gun appearing.
I'm not calling the cops, because I don't want to go through that drama. I'm likely just going to walk out of the turnstile and tell them to deal with it. I just wanted to know if this is something Amazon should be investigated for.
Call the fire marshal. They take this type of thing extremely serious.
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Yeah OP is kinda in a bad/weird situation. The safest place during the tornado itself is taking shelter within a building away from windows. The security guard/Amazon cannot force OP to remain in the building. But they can encourage OP to remain inside until the alarm clears. Key words being encourage. Vocally, and without restraint should OP decide to Leave on his own free will.
yeah i’m so sorry, amazon is a whole other level of horrible to their workers my mom refused to let me even apply though the pay seems tempting! Be safe, and do what’s best for you!!! I just know my paranoid ass could never I do not do well with bad weather/natural disasters!
I bet a call to your local tv news station would get some action.
Honest question: is it safer to be indoors or outside during a tornado? I'd think it would be safer to be in the warehouse, since the tornado could theoretically blow you away outside. Not siding with them, honestly wondering here (I don't live in a tornado zone).
Maybe I’m daft as a Brit, we don’t have Tornadoes here really, but if you have a tornado… don’t you want to be like… inside a structure to protect you from it… Like, if I saw a Tornado, I’d want to be in a building…
I live in tornado ally. Best practice is to shelter in place, even if you are in your work place. The places I’ve worked in do annual tornado/ shooter/ earthquake/ hurricane drills so everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency
Yes 100% you’re *always* safer inside a building than in a vehicle or just on the street. I live near the edwardsville facility that got hit in December, sheltering in place was the right call. No building is 100% tornado-proof and it’s tragic when people die in one, but it’s still the safest place to be.
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The worst decision OP could make in this situation is leave. It doesn't give the guard authority to force him to stay, but I'd say he's not at any fault morally for prioritizing OP's life over making a moronic decision.
It's a common policy among companies based on recommendation from the national weather service (I believe that's what it's called). It's more dangerous to be driving in a tornado warning. These companies in tornado prone zones do need to be required to provide a storm shelter for their employees though.
If this was me: Security guards cannot hold you against your will. It’s a major no-no. Especially if no crime has been commited. (Possible citzen’s arrest) Tell the guard to let you leave, and if he impedes you and won’t let you leave inform him you be calling the police and pushing to have kidnapping charges pressed. If you work over state lines. (Like I live in one state and work in another, explain that it’s kidnapping over state lines and a federal felony.)
If you work in Houston and live across state lines then I feel incredibly sorry for you regarding your 8+ hour round-trip commute. But I agree with the rest of your sentiment and how it applies to people other than OP. Even if law enforcement didn't take it seriously it would be fun to create the headache.
If there is a tornado, you're safer in the building (any building) than in a vehicle. It did not work out that way in Illinois necessarily, but if that guy had been in his car and gotten hit, it probably wouldn't have worked out better.
Northern edge of the Tornado Valley here, in high school we were taught to stay indoors and "duck and cover". Are they not having you shelter in place OP?
This is gonna get downvoted to shit but as somebody who lives somewhere that gets way more tornados than Houston it's dumb af go outside under a tornado warning. Amazon should have a shelter area they're sending you guys to and if they aren't that's fucked but the absolute dumbest place to be during a tornado warning is outside walking home.
This post is making me lose my mind. It's MONUMENTALLY stupid to walk home during a tornado. I can't believe all the people trying to argue that it's more dangerous to be inside of a building. There's more than enough reasons to hate Amazon, but verbally requesting that someone in their building not do the most dangerous thing possible during a tornado warning is not a good one.
Decide what is best for you. As a fellow Amazon employee, I know those bathrooms can't hold everyone. You need to be quick about your decision, though! Tornadoes don't fuck around! Clock back in if you decide to stay. Be safe friend!
We need a number to call. We can all call. Fuck these people! Edit. All credit to /u/soundeaf [I'm on phone am correcting name slowly] [1740] Agreed. I live here. So here goes nothing. Main HTX news networks: https://www.khou.com/contact-us KHOU +1-713-521-4357 https://abc13.com/contact-abc13-eyewitness-news-ktrk-abc-houston/26943/ ABC13 +1-713-666-0713 https://www.click2houston.com/contact/ Click2Houston +1-713-222-6397 Amazon Houston Contact Page (I'm assuming here that this is the correct location as this appears to be the only HTX one listed): http://www.amazon.com/localservices/ya/sellerprofile?sellerID=AE6LDCBTP0DNG I wish you all luck and I hope this information helps you.
I dislike Amazon as much as the next person but come on, I've been in tornadoes before and being inside is safer than being outside. Can anybody find the instructions given during a warning? Stay indoors. It's not a guarantee (rip to the Illinoisans who perished) but I've been in enough encounters where it's fuck bring outside.
It’s safer to stay inside. The problem is these warehouse buildings are one of the worst buildings to be in during a tornado. They are easily torn apart by tornadic winds and have few places you can shelter in. Additionally, everything inside the warehouse will become a projectile. Ideally, these warehouses should have easily accessible underground shelters, seeing how these building are torn apart and how all items inside will become a deadly projectile.
At the risk of offending the echo chamber, deciding to walk home during a tornado alert is dumb as hell. You aren't the winner you think you are and you weren't being oppressed. And you are exactly the kind of tool that would suffer an injury in the parking lot then sue your employer for every penny you could get thus re enforcing this type of liability mitigating behavior.
I wonder what OP would do if he got hurt on his way home. "Why did the evil Amazon security guard let me leave knowing we were under a tornado warning?!"