Amazon's relentless worker churn

During the pandemic, Amazon's tech-infused network of warehouses and planes and trucks worked pretty much flawlessly. But its system of managing workers broke down, a nine-month New York Times investigation found.

Why it matters: The convenience of Amazon comes with a cost — the company churns through human workers as rapidly as it churns through customer orders.

What's happening: Amazon evaluates workers like machines, with automated systems that track productivity, benefits, overtime assignments, firings and more.

Alberto Castillo, a worker at Amazon's Staten Island fulfillment center, was one of the first to test positive for COVID-19 and fell very ill. The company provides robust benefits for fulfillment workers, but the disability payments stopped without warning and Castillo's wife had difficulty getting in touch with someone who could fix the issue.

Dan Cavagnaro, another employee at the same warehouse, was mistakenly fired by a machine while trying to return from leave in July. He had trouble reaching anyone who could help, he told the Times.

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