Mayor G.T. Bynum comments on Amazon’s safety and turnover.
Responding to reports that Amazon warehouse workers are injured at nearly twice the rate as workers in other warehouse jobs, Mayor Bynum says he trusts Amazon to work out its problems.
“We are really thankful to have Amazon here creating jobs. If they have issues they need to work out from a workplace safety standpoint, I have total confidence in the leadership at their facility that they will work with their employees to make it an ideal place to work. If they don’t, they won’t be able to find people to work there.”
Having enough people to work at Amazon is reportedly a topic of concern at the company. According to an articlepublished in the New York Times this week, Amazon’s yearly warehouse turnover rate before the pandemic was 150%. Critics emphasize that’s by design since it hampers efforts to organize workers.
Mayor Bynum related Amazon’s turnover to pandemic complications.
“I haven’t seen statistics on turnover rates for the facility here in Tulsa. I know right now everybody is having a hard time finding people to work. We’re having a hard time finding people to work at the city of Tulsa, and every major employer in town I talk to is having trouble finding people to work."
Amazon is set to open its third facility in Tulsa in 2021. Mayor Bynum said he hopes the company will continue to grow here.
“We work with local employers routinely to try and make sure to places are the best they can be. When we know an employer is not a good employer we don’t encourage them to come to town. But Amazon is one of the most innovative companies in the whole world and we’ve been really excited about the investments they’ve made in Tulsa. We hope they continue to do so here.”