Amazon's "Fulfillment Ambassador" Tweets Have People Concerned for Amazon Workers
By Mark PygasUpdated March 22 2021, 11:53 a.m. ET
Amazon has earned plenty of criticism around the world for the conditions at their fulfillment centers. According to Business Insider, some workers have claimed that they have to urinate in bottles out of fear that taking a bathroom break would get them fired. Others have said that staff are under “constant surveillance” and face health problems from the physically demanding job.
In 2018, Amazon deployed at least 50 “FC Ambassadors” to act as online spokespeople for the company in hopes of curtailing the bad press. “It’s important that we do a good job of educating people about the actual environment inside our fulfillment centers,” Amazon told Business Insider in August of last year when people discovered the accounts replying to negative comments about the company.
Not many people paid the accounts much notice until recently. At the start of the month, Amazon offered to give members of the public tours of the fulfillment centers to see what they're "really like."
Come take a free tour at an Amazon fulfillment center and see what our warehouses are really like. Check out the locations and reserve your spot online. #AmazonFCTours
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) August 1, 2019One Twitter user by the name of Diana Wilde wasn't happy with the proposition, and laid into Amazon, writing:
"Really like? cause your workers are liars? You’re not going to convince the working class that everything is fine by telling us where to avert our eyes, we already know what it’s really like. why don’t you really treat your workers better, you can afford it."
really like? cause your workers are liars? you’re not going to convince the working class that everything is fine by telling us where to avert our eyes, we already know what it’s really like. why don’t you really treat your workers better, you can afford it
— Diana Wilde (@rulesObeyer) August 14, 2019Which earned a rather odd reply from one such Amazon fulfillment center ambassador. "Everything is fine," Dylan wrote. "I don't think there is anything wrong with the money I make or the way I am treated at work."
Everything is fine, I don't think there is anything wrong with the money I make or the way I am treated at work
— Dylan - Amazon FC Ambassador 📦 (@AmazonFCDylan) August 14, 2019Wilde responded:
nice try ambassador dylan lmao but you don’t speak for those who have been wronged
— Diana Wilde (@rulesObeyer) August 14, 2019Which seemed to attract the attention of another Amazon fulfillment center ambassador, Rafael.
(2/2)and, I personally think the managers here at my FC are all helpful basing from my experience. It's a lot of physical work but I believe that associates are not treated less like what you think. There are good opportunities and stuffs that employees are getting.Have a GD. 🙌
— Rafael - Amazon FC Ambassador 📦 (@AmazonFCRafael) August 14, 2019Understandably, people were concerned about just how positive the fulfillment center ambassadors were being. Some Twitter users thought they might be bots, while others joked that they might be being held against their will.
Blink twice if you are being held against your will.
— axiomaticAnarchy (@axioAnarch) August 16, 2019“Everything is fine” pic.twitter.com/JOC0ZQG3qf
— 🦒 (@clvtno) August 15, 2019Twitter use dulcedecommie was able to dig up some previous tweets from the ambassadors that raised some eyebrows. They range from dunking on unions, to bizarre tweets about taking time off. Here are a few of those, and we'll allow you to make your own judgement.
Dylan claims to be 55 in one tweet, though this profile picture doesn't seem to match with that.
i........how the fuck are people NOT talking about this... pic.twitter.com/mPjlKj6toC
— im baby (@dulcedecommie) August 15, 2019It's not Amazon's fault.
completely normal company pic.twitter.com/NknvYP9I9x
— im baby (@dulcedecommie) August 15, 2019Some users even made fake accounts to parody the tweets.
Working at Amazon is so great!I make just enough money to pay my car payment, which is perfect because I live in my car! Love my job! #AmazingAmazon
— Bethany P Bezos Amazon FC Ambassador (@BethanyPBezos) August 17, 2019Why be calves in veal pens when you could join the peerage of the shadows? Surrender to the dark miracle. Dance forever with the immortals. The blood is the life. #AmazonFCTours
— Adrian - Amazon FC Ambassador (@blagojevism) August 15, 2019A spokesman for Amazon told news.com.au that the accounts are real people, not robots.
“FC ambassadors are employees who work in our fulfillment centers and want to share their personal experiences of working at Amazon,” they said. “They are free to post what they want and if they see things they disagree with online, they may respond with their own opinion.”
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