Amazon Sweatshop - Books, Not Brazil

This is a link to an article titled Inside Amazon's Warehouse on a site called The Morning Call, linked to by the right-wing site Hot Air. Strange to find this article there, since it describes third-world sweatshop conditions in the Amazon warehouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania. A race to the bottom for assembly-line employees, while corporate profits grow exponentially.

Elmer Goris spent a year working in Amazon.com's Lehigh Valley warehouse, where books, CDs and various other products are packed and shipped to customers who order from the world's largest online retailer.

The 34-year-old Allentown resident, who has worked in warehouses for more than 10 years, said he quit in July because he was frustrated with the heat and demands that he work mandatory overtime. Working conditions at the warehouse got worse earlier this year, especially during summer heat waves when heat in the warehouse soared above 100 degrees, he said.

He got light-headed, he said, and his legs cramped, symptoms he never experienced in previous warehouse jobs. One hot day, Goris said, he saw a co-worker pass out at the water fountain. On other hot days, he saw paramedics bring people out of the warehouse in wheelchairs and on stretchers.