Abstract
Amazon has revolutionized shopping and challenged traditional brick-and-mortar retail. But at the heart of this logistics machine are over a million workers whose experiences tell a far more complicated story. Using unique data from the Shift Project, our new report offers the first direct, large-scale comparison of working conditions for drivers and fulfillment employees at Amazon, UPS, and FedEx. The findings reveal stark disparities in wages, upward career mobility, job tenure, benefit levels, worker protections and job quality. Given its cost advantages relative to the highly unionized drivers at UPS, the Amazon model could radically change wages and the quality of work for those in the transport and distribution sector.