In July, it was revealed that the US government was investigating Amazon for suspected dangerous working conditions. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted inspections “related, among other things, to Amazon’s necessary work tempo for its warehouse workers.”
Amazon unveiled Sparrow in the midst of a movement by warehouse employees to unionise their jobs, where robots are taking over specific responsibilities. Workers at the JFK8 fulfilment facility on Staten Island decided to unionise in March, making them the first Amazon warehouse to do so. The firm has disputed the election outcome. Workers at an Albany, New York facility recently voted against unionisation after Amazon launched an anti-union campaign.
