Physically Broken Amazon Workers Strike On Black Friday
By Massimo Franchi for il manifesto. Amazon workers are striking in Italy, the first for the country and one of historical importance. On Black Friday morning at 5 a.m., union leaders walked out of Mpx5, the giant warehouse in Castel San Giovanni, in the heartland of logistics in the Piacenza valley. While strikes at Amazon have been organized before, in 2015 in France and Germany, the Italians decided to start theirs on “Black Friday,” an imported American term for a day dedicated to retail. The difficulty of the work required is the other major grievance of the employees. Divided into pickers, who sort the packages with scan guns, packers, who package the products, and the shipping division, the hardest task is undoubtedly that of the pickers. “After five years of this work, you’re not good for anything anymore. Many of my colleagues have left . . . "