Skip to main content

Data from states shows thousands of Amazon employees are on food stamps










#Amazon #FoodStamps #Employees #SNAPbenefits

  • Amazon is one of the top employers of those who receive SNAP benefits, otherwise known as food stamps, in at least five states. 
  • Nearly one in three Amazon employees in Arizona and 1 in 10 in Ohio were on food stamps or lived with someone who was in 2017, according to data obtained by nonprofit New Food Economy from state governments. In Pennsylvania, one in 10 Amazon employees were on food stamps.
  • Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont, a prominent critic of Amazon, has announced plans to introduce legislation that would tax companies when their employees are on government assistance.
A number of Amazon employees in at least five states are on food stamps, or the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
That's according to data obtained by nonprofit New Food Economy from state governments in the US. New Food was able to get data from five states: Arizona, Kansas, Ohio, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
The New Food Economy reports nearly one in three Amazon employees — 1,800 people — in Arizona were on food stamps or lived with someone who was in 2017. In Pennsylvania, one in 10 Amazon employees — more than 1,000 — were on food stamps.
A separate study by Policy Matters Ohio published in January found that 700 Amazon workers in the state received food stamp benefits.
That means that about 10% of all Amazon's employees in the state are in the program. It also means that Amazon has quickly risen in the rankings of the biggest employers with workers on SNAP, joining large corporations like Walmart and McDonald's.
A spokesperson told the Washington Post that the numbers were "misleading because they include people who only worked for Amazon for a short period of time and/or who chose to work part-time. We have hundreds of full-time roles available, however, some prefer part-time for the flexibility or other personal reasons."
Senator Bernie Sanders, a vocal critic of Amazon and its CEO Jeff Bezos, announced on Friday he will be introducing legislation to the US Senate on September 5 that would impose a 100% tax on companies with more than 500 employees and workers employees on public assistance, according to the Washington Post. For example, if an employee draws $100 from food stamps, that money would be taxed from that individual's employer.
More than $150 billion in federal funds goes to pay low wage workers in the form of federal assistance. Sanders' move is designed to encourage employers to pay more, what he and proponents call a "living wage."
Amazon defended its warehouse employee pay in a statement to Business Insider.
"We encourage anyone to compare our pay and benefits to other retailers. Amazon is proud to have created over 130,000 new jobs last year alone. These are good jobs with highly competitive pay and full benefits. In the U.S., the average hourly wage for a full-time associate in our fulfillment centers, including cash, stock, and incentive bonuses, is over $15/hour before overtime," according to an Amazon spokesperson.
"That's in addition to our full benefits package that includes health, vision and dental insurance, retirement, generous parental leave, and skills training for in-demand jobs through our Career Choice program, which has over 16,000 participants."
By Dennis Green, www.businessinsider.com -August 25th, 2018
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The most popular animated series, by state

#Animation #Cartoon #FamilyGuy #Sitcoms #RickandMorty #SouthPark #Archer #TheSimpsons  As  The Simpsons  heads into their 31st  season—further cementing itself as the longest-running primetime scripted series in the US—the Data Team at All Home Connections thought it would be interesting to find out your state’s favorite animated sitcom. Using a list of the top 15 most popular animated sitcoms, our analysts then used Google Trends to identify the most popular shows by comparing those with the highest search volume in each state. Take a look at our map to find out what your state’s favorite animated sitcom is and what other states like to watch across the country. Interesting Findings Here are some interesting findings that the data team came across when they started digging a little deeper into the results. Colorado’s favorite animated sitcom is  South Park . This could be because the town of Fairplay, Colorado is the childhood home of creator Matt ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Christopher Reeve's ''Superman' Is So Hard to Leave in the Past

#ChristopherReeve #Clarkkent #DCcomics #LoisLane #RichardDonner #Superman Forty years ago, Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve made a Superhero film that directors have been chasing for years, depicting who America was then — or at least who we wished to be Superman. It’s now easy to believe a man can fly. It wasn’t in 1978, but today, in midst of an explosion of superhero movies, it’s a belief we give into with relative ease. Flight is most often the bare minimum of what we expect from heroes and villains who can perform any feat limited only by the human imagination. It’s not simply special effects that permit our belief, but rather an overall acceptance that these costume-clad characters are a defining part of our culture, modern myths at their best and populist cinematic staples akin to the 20th century western at their lowest form. There have been a record nine theatrically released superhero movies based on comic books this year alone, each claiming a major piece of the glo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Mechanism of a Mosquito Bite (VIDEO)

#itchy #Mosquito #MosquitoBite Unfortunately, enjoying the outdoors also means risking numerous bites from swarms of blood-hungry mosquitoes that seem to target us as soon us we step outside. Have you ever wondered about the science behind the mosquito bite and why those bites leave you itchy?  Check out the following video! 
Post a Comment
Read more