Latest news with #AmazonFlex
Business Insider
09-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Amazon Flex workers' schedules aren't so flexible after all, new report suggests
Amazon's Flex delivery program bills itself as "a flexible way of earning extra money on your own schedule." A new report from a union-backed workers' rights non-profit suggests that's not quite the case. The report, released on Wednesday by the advocacy group National Employment Law Project, points to signs that Amazon Flex workers may not have as much flexibility as Amazon suggests they do. Flex, which Amazon started in 2015, lets gig workers deliver packages for the company using their own vehicles. Maya Pinto, senior researcher and policy analyst at NELP, interviewed between September and May eight Amazon Flex drivers in New Jersey who are organizing. The drivers said they sometimes had trouble working as much as they wanted and on the schedules that they preferred. Two of the Flex workers whom Pinto interviewed said Amazon's app would sometimes prevent them from signing up for more than five hours of work a day, which meant they ended up working less than 40 hours a week, including weekend shifts. The Flex drivers said that they were sometimes locked out of the app after working some shifts. "The app lockouts are really preventing Flex drivers from being free to choose when they want to work," she said. Amazon spokesperson Amber Plunkett told Business Insider that the company hadn't reviewed the report and that it appears to be "another attempt by NELP to intentionally leave out important context in order to fit their own narrative." The group has conducted other worker research and advocacy efforts that have been critical of Amazon and other gig companies. "The fact is, for nearly a decade, Amazon Flex has empowered delivery partners across the country to deliver Amazon packages on their own schedules with competitive earnings," the spokesperson said. Amazon said that the shifts it offers to Flex drivers can vary between weeks, and also due to changes in seasonal demand. Gig workers for apps from Flex to Uber to Instacart often say that the flexibility to work when they want is a major reason that they opt to earn money as independent contractors. The Flex drivers' experience is one example of how gig work may not be as flexible in practice as some workers expect. Ride-hailing drivers, for instance, tend to find that demand for their services is higher during certain times of the day or days of the week, and those times may or may not align with their own availability. As a result, they may have to work outside their preferred hours or earn less than they anticipated. One Flex driver in New Jersey, whom Pinto interviewed for the study, told BI that she frequently checks Flex when she's not working to try to claim shifts that pay around $30 an hour. That's good pay in her area, she said: Other shifts pay closer to $20 an hour. On Reddit, some posters who say that they are Amazon Flex drivers give advice to new drivers on how to claim work. Among their tips: Figure out when shifts drop in your area and be ready to claim them the moment they're available — even if that's early in the morning. Some have also complained about issues with the app. The driver BI spoke with said that she has sometimes been locked out of the app after working shifts for Flex. She said that the lockouts weren't consistent, though, and she wasn't sure what caused them. The driver said she was able to claim more than five hours of work a day for this week, when Amazon is offering four days of sales for Prime Day. Amazon allows Flex workers to claim shifts up to a few days in advance. Amazon Flex is one part of the expanding world of gig work NELP's report points to other conditions that Flex workers face on the job. Amazon measures workers' productivity using several metrics, such as the percentage of packages they deliver on a route. Not all of those performance metrics are always within a Flex driver's control, according to the report. "Long queues and a lack of parking at a delivery station or a glitching Global Positioning System on a driver's smartphone can negatively affect 'on-time arrival,'" the report reads, referring to another metric Amazon uses to evaluate drivers. Amazon uses metrics like on-time arrival to determine a driver's "standing" grade. The grade can, in turn, affect a driver's pay and access to future shifts, according to the report. Amazon told BI that standing doesn't affect how much work a Flex driver can sign up for, and that grade accounts for circumstances outside a driver's control. One of the report's conclusions is that Flex drivers are misclassified as independent contractors. It says they should be considered employees since Amazon's control of their working conditions, such as through metric-based standing, means that they "are not truly in business for themselves like legitimate independent contractors are." Gig workers are generally classified as independent contractors. And gig work continues to expand. Retailers like Walmart and Target also have their own gig workforces picking up and delivering customers' orders. Apps that bring gig work to other industries, such as nursing, have also proliferated. "We're seeing it being used by a lot of different corporations and different industries," Pinto said.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon Ends Speedy Delivery by Kia Soul in Favor of Gig Workers
(Bloomberg) -- Inc. is ending an experiment that saw drivers in Kia Souls make same-day deliveries and will rely on its network of gig-economy workers instead. Security Concerns Hit Some of the World's 'Most Livable Cities' One Architect's Quest to Save Mumbai's Heritage From Disappearing JFK AirTrain Cuts Fares 50% This Summer to Lure Riders Off Roads NYC Congestion Toll Cuts Manhattan Gridlock by 25%, RPA Reports Taser-Maker Axon Triggers a NIMBY Backlash in its Hometown In the test, Amazon contract delivery firms in several US states deployed drivers for four- or five-hours shifts in the boxy little Kia Corp. hatchbacks. The trial, which began to roll out in 2023, gave the world's largest online retailer more control over deliveries. If widely deployed, it also could have reduced the company's reliance on Amazon Flex drivers, who use their own cars to ferry orders to customers' homes. Those gig workers will now pick up the affected routes. Owners of the participating Delivery Service Partners, as Amazon calls its contract delivery firms, were recently notified that the quick-delivery program will be winding down over the next few months, the company confirmed. 'After more than a year of gathering feedback from customers, DSPs, and teams at Same-Day Delivery facilities, we've determined that the DSP model isn't currently the right fit for Same-Day Delivery and we'll be moving away from it,' Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly said in an emailed statement. 'We appreciate the contributions from participating DSPs and their teams, and we'll provide support throughout this transition.' Amazon tested the concept in Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas and Washington. Kelly said the affected DSPs can operate other Amazon routes and that the company will help drivers get jobs with other firms, if necessary. The program's vehicles were rentals and will be returned to the vendor, he said. Amazon, which started out relying exclusively on the US Postal Service and other carriers to get goods to customers, in the last decade built a sprawling logistics operation centered around small businesses. These DSPs lease blue Amazon Prime-branded vans and employ the drivers, who might deliver 200 or more packages a day. Flex drivers opt in via a smartphone app and typically deliver packages from Amazon's same-day delivery depots. Both programs have been criticized by workers' advocates who contend that the drivers, operating at Amazon's direction, should be classified as company employees. Luxury Counterfeiters Keep Outsmarting the Makers of $10,000 Handbags Ken Griffin on Trump, Harvard and Why Novice Investors Won't Beat the Pros Is Mark Cuban the Loudmouth Billionaire that Democrats Need for 2028? The US Has More Copper Than China But No Way to Refine All of It Can 'MAMUWT' Be to Musk What 'TACO' Is to Trump? ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Amazon Ends Speedy Delivery by Kia Soul in Favor of Gig Workers
Inc. is ending an experiment that saw drivers in Kia Souls make same-day deliveries and will rely on its network of gig-economy workers instead. In the test, Amazon contract delivery firms in several US states deployed drivers for four- or five-hours shifts in the boxy little Kia Corp. hatchbacks. The trial, which began to roll out in 2023, gave the world's largest online retailer more control over deliveries. If widely deployed, it also could have reduced the company's reliance on Amazon Flex drivers, who use their own cars to ferry orders to customers' homes. Those gig workers will now pick up the affected routes.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Amazon Flex delivery driver has car stolen while dropping off packages in North Austin
The Brief An Amazon Flex delivery driver said her car was stolen while she was dropping off packages The thief is now using the woman's EBT card that was left inside the car Amazon responded to the incident AUSTIN, Texas - An Amazon Flex delivery driver said her car was stolen while she was dropping off packages. Local perspective Stephanie Board was delivering packages for Amazon early Sunday morning. "I took the route that was from 3:15 a.m all the way until like seven o'clock, and I was almost done, so I was excited when I was on my route because I was like, ok, it's about 6:30-ish, I'm almost done. So here I am just determined to get it done and get back to my kids," delivery driver Stephanie Board said. She said she pulled up to a home in the Quail Creek Neighborhood in North Austin, her car was still running. "I'm just thinking, you know, I'm going to hop in and out real quickly," Board said. Board said she grabbed the package out of her car, walked to the front door, dropped it off, and scanned it. When she turned around, Board said, "I look up and I see a guy that I've never seen before. He hops out of a Mercedes, I think it was, and he gets into the driver's side of my car." Board said she tried to stop the man. "I kind of try to get in front of him to stop him from taking the vehicle, but he still goes around and leaves in the vehicle," Board said. She said it felt like a movie. "Panicking, nervous, just disbelief and distraught that something like this was happening," Board said. Apparently, her car had all of her personal items inside, including her credit, debit, and social security cards. "I see that they are currently using my EBT card. They were at the local Sam's that was out south, and it looks like they were at some supermarkets here in the East Austin area, so they're all over Austin, so you might want to just be mindful," Board said. Board and her son have a message to whoever is behind this. "Just do the right thing and return the car because you've taken away from a mother that's trying to support her kids and have a survival for them and stable living," Board said. "I would just like for the person to just give us our car," Board's son, Demarion Ewing said. What they're saying Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly released a statement on the incident: "Our team has reached out to Ms. Board to offer support and assistance relating to this unfortunate incident. Safety is our top priority, which is why we continue to innovate and invest in comprehensive safety measures that help keep Amazon Flex delivery partners and the communities they serve safe. In addition to contacting law enforcement, Amazon's 24/7 Emergency Assistance Helpline stands ready to provide support to delivery partners if unexpected situations arise." Amazon does provide various forms of assistance when situations arise, including filing insurance claims to help drivers and pay for missed delivery blocks. The Source Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Amazon facility coming to Davenport
Amazon is expanding in Davenport with a new facility. Growing customer demand led to a second facility in Davenport, a 114,000 square-foot last-mile delivery station near the current Amazon Robotics Fulfillment Center at 2022 Research Parkway. This type of facility typically creates over 100 direct and indirect job opportunities, including driving opportunities through the Delivery Service Partner (DSP) and Amazon Flex programs as the company serves thousands of customers in Scott County and beyond. Construction just started on the facility, which is expected to be completed in late 2025. Employees in Amazon's U.S. customer fulfillment and transportation earn an average of over $22 per hour.'The City is happy to see Amazon grow its footprint in Davenport's Eastern Iowa Industrial Center,' said Davenport Mayor Mike Matson. 'We're grateful Amazon chose to do business here, and we're proud of the Davenport community for supporting this expansion.' This new last-mile facility will be the final stage of Amazon's fulfillment process and ensure fast, everyday delivery to customers' doorsteps. The facility will bring even faster delivery for customers throughout the region, including neighboring rural communities. 'Opening our second Davenport site in three years and our sixth in the past two years across Iowa is a testament to expanding the great communities we serve and the new jobs we're bringing across the region,' said Jason Vangalis, Amazon economic development manager. 'Davenport's strategic Midwest location with direct access to major highways and talented workforce also played a key role in this area's expansion.' 'We are thrilled that Amazon has chosen to expand at their current campus in Davenport,' said Peter Tokar III, Quad Cities President & CEO. 'The expansion will bring new jobs as Amazon continues to serve the Quad Cities area and beyond.' Amazon's Robotics Fulfillment Center, also in Davenport, opened in October 2023 and employs about 2,000 people. The facility features the latest generation of Amazon robotics, including over 5,000 robots helping move products through the 2.3 million-square-foot building while fulfilling about 130,000 customer orders daily. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
