This archive report was first published on 4 July 2020.
On July 4, 2020, a 22-year-old delivery driver for Amazon quit his job in the middle of a shift, leaving his vehicle on the highway in Detroit, USA.
The driver, Derick Lancaster, had been working for Amazon for some time and had grown frustrated with the extremely tiring work conditions. He claimed that he was constantly under pressure to deliver goods faster and was paid about $15.50 (KSh 1,650) an hour.
According to Lancaster, he would often have to deliver over 100 packages within a span of 12 hours, and the workload kept increasing. He said that missing his sister's birthday party was the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Lancaster's decision to quit his job was met with mixed reactions on Twitter. Some people supported his decision, while others criticized him for acting 'immaturely and irresponsibly'.
However, Lancaster later regretted his decision, saying that he acted 'immaturely and irresponsibly on his end.' He also acknowledged that he had enough of the demanding job.
It's worth noting that Amazon drivers across the US have long complained of poor working conditions. An investigation by ProPublica in 2019 revealed that drivers were often forced to work long hours and were under pressure to meet demanding delivery targets.
