#DO YOU TIP MEDICAL TRANSPORT DRIVERS DRIVERS#
#DO YOU TIP MEDICAL TRANSPORT DRIVERS DRIVER#

When asked for comment on this story, Amazon told CNN Business that it refused Schmutzer and Bloemer's demands after they abruptly threatened to stop servicing Amazon, which jeopardized their drivers' livelihood.

#DO YOU TIP MEDICAL TRANSPORT DRIVERS DRIVER#

UPS pay starts at $21 an hour, whereas average DSP driver pay in the US is only more than $17.50 an hour, according to Amazon.

For comparison, when UPS workers went on strike in 1997, the company was forced to make concessions, including higher wages. Because Amazon limits the size of DSPs, the negative impact of a DSP that stops working is small. Threatening to walk off the job during one of Amazon's busiest times got them nowhere. (Amazon says it works with DSPs to make sure expectations are realistic.)Д«ut DSPs have little leverage, as Schmutzer and Bloemer learned.

#DO YOU TIP MEDICAL TRANSPORT DRIVERS DRIVERS#

Schmutzer and Bloemer wanted their drivers to have workloads that they felt were more manageable - no more than 150 stops and 250 package deliveries daily. The DSP owners were also tired of Amazon being able to fire their drivers, and then fine the DSPs if they didn't find another driver to fill whatever routes opened due to the firing. (Amazon says it needs payroll access for audit purposes to ensure drivers are paid fairly and in accordance with local laws and its policies.) Schmutzer and Bloemer wanted to bar Amazon from having access to view their payroll. DSPs that are unhappy with the terms Amazon dictates may find themselves powerless to get changes made, given the nature of contract work. The clash in Portland highlights the power dynamics between Amazon and its DSPs. But Amazon refused, and Schmutzer and Bloemer's business with Amazon was terminated. They asked Amazon to agree to their demands within two days. They sent the letter on Prime Day, when Amazon would seem to be especially dependent on its DSPs to complete deliveries during the busy stretch. Schmutzer and Bloemer had a lawyer draft a letter and send it to Amazon on June 21 warning of litigation, demanding changes to improve conditions for workers and demanding $36 million to compensate for unspecified losses. 'I felt so trapped for so long that I didn't know what to do.' 'We were truly desperate,' Schmutzer told CNN Business. They say they raised concerns with Amazon, but that Amazon didn't offer any lasting solutions. Their profits dwindled in 2020, they said, as their delivery territory shifted and they kept extra staff on board to handle heavy workloads. Schmutzer and Bloemer faced their own challenges. He would sometimes coach his drivers through mental health struggles. They were loaded with so many packages that some frustrated DSP drivers quit in the middle of their shifts, Schmutzer said. Drivers said their days didn't get better after leaving Amazon's delivery station. Their drivers grew stressed and frazzled as they rushed to load their vans each morning after Amazon cut back on loading time. Schmutzer and Bloemer saw these frustrations. Working conditions worsened during the pandemic, drivers say. Pay is low compared to competitors like FedEx and UPS. But many drivers who work for Amazon DSPs have reported frustrations. The DSP program has expanded to nine countries, creating 158,000 jobs at 2,500 DSPs, according to Amazon.ДЄmazon's DSPs have played a critical role as the company grew rapidly during the pandemic, and relied less on delivery companies like UPS. DSPs have about 20-40 vans and up to 100 employees. The businesses are called 'delivery service partners,' or DSPs, for short. Both had run technically independent businesses since 2019 that usually rent vans owned by Amazon, and are paid by Amazon to deliver its packages.

Do You Tip Medical Transport Drivers