The 2008 crisis was particularly devastating for a large part of the American population. People who worked for decades discovered they had lost all their money and, one way or another, were forced to “abandon” their retirement. That is when Amazon steps in, with its CamperForce program offering temporary work to a significant number of older people living in RVs. CamperForce has been described as Amazon’s “nomadic army,” but 25-kilometer walks inside warehouses and 10-hour shifts tell another story…
Family warehouses disappeared. Unpayable mortgages. Small businesses bankrupt. Emergency auctions. Despair and insecurity. The 2008 crisis allowed the rescue of banks and corporations, but it did not hesitate to tear apart the working class. One of the most unpleasant aspects was that many people, having worked and saved for years, found out the hard way that they were completely vulnerable. That led the “retired” from the formal labor market to adopt a nomadic life, investing the little they had left in RVs, and embracing (with too few alternatives) their new precariousness.
That brings us to Amazon. The Seattle giant obtains approximately one-third of its annual profits in the last three months, where Black Friday activity combines with the Christmas season. That means Amazon needs a sudden injection of temporary workers to cover demand, and for that the CamperForce program exists. At first it was just an experiment, but the company quickly discovered the potential behind a legion of workers living in RVs, with extensive prior experience, superior discipline… and an extreme need to earn money. Amazon pays on average $11 per hour, plus overtime.
The Human Cost of CamperForce
The documentary by Jessica Bruder and Brett Story shares the program’s experience from the point of view of one of the couples that participated. Although they were convinced it would be a demanding physical job, they never believed they would feel pain in the process. Plantar fasciitis, tendinitis, repetitive stress injuries, 25-kilometer (or more) walks inside warehouses, and shifts of at least ten hours push these workers to their limit, and incidents are an everyday occurrence. The closing of the video is worrying: One in five Americans over 65 still works. Nearly a third of households led by those over 55 have no pension or retirement savings. And Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world, after crossing the $100 billion mark last November. Some will say Amazon is not to blame. Others, that these workers should have been smarter in protecting their savings. However, labor precariousness exists, it is a problem, and nobody wants to solve it. Quite the opposite.
