Googleに買収されPixel Watchが登場してもFitbitは消えない

Googleは2019年にフィットネストラッカーメーカーのFitbitを買収し、2022年にはFitbitのテクノロジーを用いて開発した独自のスマートウォッチである「Google Pixel Watch」を発表しました。Googleによる買収以降からFitbitの先行きを不安視する声は上がっていたのですが、Pixel Watchの登場により「もはやFitbit製品は登…

CHILDREN OF BODOM の真実｜夏目進平｜note

※"The secret of the Children of Bodom: Janne, Henkka and Jaska reveal what really happened" の翻訳記事です。COB にいったい何が起こったのか？中毒という病気の恐ろしさ、バンドにまつわるリアルで難しいお金の話、兄弟のようなメンバー間の愛憎。残された3人が、Alexi の家族のサポートも受けながら真摯に答えた…

Amazon will reimburse employee travel for abortions and non-life threatening treatments

Amazon already has a policy in place to reimburse employees up to $10,000 for travel expenses if they’re having treatments for life-threatening issues. Now, it has also introduced a policy that will benefit those seeking other kinds of treatment. According to Reuters, the e-commerce giant has told its employees in the US that it will offer up to $4,000 in annual travel reimbursements for non-life threatening medical treatments, including cellular gene therapies, substance-abuse disorder services and abortions. 

Politico recently obtained an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, showing that the Supreme Court has voted to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion across the US. If Roe v. Wade truly gets overturned, then it’s up to local state governments to decide whether to legalize or restrict abortion — and conservative states like Alabama, where Amazon has facilities, are expected to limit access to the procedure. 

Reuters says Amazon will reimburse travel under the new policy if a procedure is not available within 100 miles of an employees’ home and long-distance/virtual treatment isn’t possible. It will apply to both office and warehouse employees, as well as their dependents enrolled in Premera or Aetna health plans. It will also be retroactively applied to eligible travel that took place within this year, starting on January 1st. As the news organization notes, it shows Amazon’s efforts when it comes to retaining and attracting talent for the company.

That said, Amazon has also recently ended its paid COVID leave policy for workers. It will no longer pay time off for workers that test positive for the virus and will only offer them up to five days of unpaid leave going forward.

New York lawmakers want to limit warehouse productivity quotas

New York State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Latoya Joyner have introduced a new bill meant to limit production quotas for warehouse workers. The bill, called the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, takes aim at Amazon’s labor practices. It expands upon and strengthens the language of a similar bill in California that was signed into law back in 2021, making the state the first in the US to have legislation that regulates warehouse quotas.

Productivity quotas prevent workers from complying with safety standards and contribute to rising injury rates in warehouse, Ramos notes in a statement. She explains that if the bill passes, it can “ease the bargaining process” for workers seeking to make demands for health purposes in their workplace. Warehouses will have to go through an ergonomic assessment of all tasks if the bill becomes a law, and companies could face penalties if they’re found to be lacking. The New York State Department of Labor will enforce rules established under the bill. 

As Motherboard reports, the Warehouse Worker Protection Act will require employers with at least 50 employees in a single warehouse or 500 workers statewide to describe their productivity quotas in a written description. They also have to explain how their quotas are developed and how they can be used for disciplinary purposes. If the bill passes, it can make sure employees are giving their workers bathroom breaks and rest periods, as well.

Amazon made it to the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health’s most dangerous workplaces in the US for the third time this year. The advocacy group included Amazon for having an injury rate more than double the industry average and highlighted the deaths that took place in its facility in Bessemer, Alabama. Workers’ rights advocates also recently accused the e-commerce giant of using its charity work placement scheme to conceal true injury rates in its warehouses.