‘We Don’t Need Your Sympathy’

The conflict between Amazon, the American online retailer, and the German labor union Ver.di has been held up for months — and is increasingly bursting outside the frame of a normal labor conflict. Experts observe that two worlds are colliding: the American concept of free enterprise goes against German perceptions of the fair union wage. “The American approach follows the principle: This is my company, so I make the decisions,” says Alexandra Henkel, a labor law expert from Berlin, “As a rule, German companies would not dare to do such a thing.”

In the U.S., the idea of individual assertiveness and competition is much stronger in the relationship between employers and workers than in Germany, explains Americanist Wilifred Raussert, from the University of Bielefeld. Ver.di chairman Frank Bsirske brings the approach of his organization in a video of the union to Amazon dispute with the point: “The union is there to neutralize competition among workers, or at least limit it; which is how the union contributes, to sell labor at better conditions than would be possible for individuals.”

A cultural divide also splits the workforce. More than 1,000 workers in Amazon distribution centers in Leipzig and Bad Hersfeld have addressed an appeal against the union’s conflict course. Workers criticized the union’s actions: “We enjoy working for Amazon, we ourselves are satisfied customers, we have secure employment, and we don’t wish to stand idly by while our reputation, thus our existence, is pilloried in the public sphere.”

The appeal states that the negatively drawn public image “follows us in private life.” They don’t want to have to justify their employer and working conditions; the image does not correspond to reality. Two Amazon employees, who have asked to remain anonymous, noted that friends and acquaintances feel downright sorry for them about their employment at Amazon.

“Working at Amazon is perfectly fine,” says a 33-year-old warehouse worker. The trained chef has worked for Amazon for two years and appreciates the significantly shorter working hours with his job at Amazon. “As a chef, I would immediately find a job, but for me, the somewhat higher income is not worth as much as the much shorter working hours at Amazon,” said the worker. “I don’t need sympathy.”

The Ver.di labor union seemed unfazed by the appeal. There were indications that supervisors would have helped the petition along, a spokeswoman said: “The petition in Leipzig has taken place under supervision of the management.” Management also had workers sign who are no longer employed at the American online retailer. Concurrently, they understood that some employees obviously hope that giving their signature increased their prospects for a permanent position. However, Amazon commented that it was an employee initiative that showed, “how the majority of the staff thinks.” The Amazon fulfillment centers provide “fair and good working conditions,” said a corporation spokesperson.

Meanwhile, both sides bet on escalation. Next, there is a T-shirt campaign planned for Amazon in Leipzig, petition initiator Sandra Münch told the German news agency DPA. The shirts should be printed with the words, “Pro Amazon.” The union is also planning further intensification. Ver.di announced that in the upcoming weeks, the strikes should intensify and spread to new cities. Nationwide coordination meetings are scheduled in order to plan an effective walkout.

The recent strikes during the Christmas shopping season appear to be less harmful than the union intended. In fact, Amazon recently spoke in an announcement of the “best Christmas season of all time,” which admittedly applied to the worldwide business. Ver.di’s goal is for Amazon to pay workers following the union-approved pay scale for retail companies. However, the U.S. group strictly refuses to enter into a binding payment agreement. Instead, the company chooses to pay its employees using a lower, logistics-based scale. Yet, Ver.di’s argument falls on partially fertile ground, even among the employees who are critical of the union. One of the workers thought that it was strange that his employer based wages on the rates of the logistics industry, even though it is an online retail company. However, he could not understand the criticism of the allegedly poor working conditions. In the employees’ appeal against Ver.di’s actions, Amazon is defended by referencing that there would be many agreements in favor of the workers, especially for parents, that other employers don’t provide.

The labor union sees the concessions as a tactic to undermine binding solutions. In the labor union video, Bsirske says, “Employees want to encounter an employer who will treat them fairly and responsibly, and not aim for wages that are a third lower than at similar companies, like Otto, and others in Germany.”