Amazon Hires Homeless Workers, and Everyone Ends Up Disappointed

Re:Amazon Hires Homeless Workers, and Everyone Ends Up Disap... by sabmalik on Thursday January 21, 2016 @06:41PM (#10949470)

I am not sure what this article achieves. I think it only discourages companies from hiring homeless people.

How is the risk of going into these kinds of jobs any different for a non-homeless person? Possibly even greater, given they are paying rent/mortgage, car lease whatever.

Would it be better if these kinds of job completely abolished? Anyone who puts their hand up for these jobs, knows or should know what they are getting into.

Having said that, efforts should be made to work out the issues rather than just bash anyone who is trying to lend a hand (even for selfish reasons). For instance the shelters could adjust their policies and accommodate the people who work during the night (and have proof of it).

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Re:Amazon Hires Homeless Workers, and Everyone Ends Up Disap... by tim333 on Thursday January 21, 2016 @09:40PM (#10950408)

The article provides information about the problem. I'm surprised a lot of the comments here seem to attaching other values to it - it's socialists attacking Amazon or it discourages companies hiring. It can be useful to know what's going on without over moralizing what happened or whether it should be spoken of. And there might be practical solutions - say shelters that allow day sleeping. Maybe Amazon could rent a cheap house and let the workers stay there.

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Re:Amazon Hires Homeless Workers, and Everyone Ends Up Disap... by sabmalik on Thursday January 21, 2016 @10:13PM (#10950516)

The tone of the article/ title is not informational. It's accusatory and exploitive.

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Re:Amazon Hires Homeless Workers, and Everyone Ends Up Disap... by jon-wood on Thursday January 21, 2016 @07:28PM (#10949769)

> Anyone who puts their hand up for these jobs, knows or should know what they are getting into.

In many cases they know they're getting into the only job available to them, and that their kids need to eat.

We shouldn't be creating a world where people are expected to do strenous physical labour under stressful conditions for barely enough money to live. Amazon is taking billions a year, it doesn't seem unreasonable that the people who make that possible should see some of that.

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Re:Amazon Hires Homeless Workers, and Everyone Ends Up Disap... by corysama on Thursday January 21, 2016 @09:10PM (#10950287)

> Amazon is taking billions a year, it doesn't seem unreasonable that the people who make that possible should see some of that.

Amazon has never made a significant profit and never paid dividends. AFAICT, the people who made Amazon's billions possible (including non-labor costs like suppliers and real estate) have seen pretty much all of it.

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Re:Amazon Hires Homeless Workers, and Everyone Ends Up Disap... by sabmalik on Thursday January 21, 2016 @07:35PM (#10949805)

I appreciate the sentiment but what exactly are you proposing?

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Re:Amazon Hires Homeless Workers, and Everyone Ends Up Disap... by jon-wood on Friday January 22, 2016 @01:27AM (#10951122)

Ideally, companies voluntarily paying at least enough that someone working there can expect enough to live a decent life. Short of that, a higher minimum wage.

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