New research published by UK-based openDemocracy and Computer Weekly revealed the details of the artificial intelligence system developed by Amazon to evaluate the possibility of union organizing in its warehouses in the USA, Canada and the UK. The documents were made public in the legal process between the company and Canada’s Unifor Union. The application called Atlas, included in the training materials prepared for managers, is a “risk mechanism!” that evaluates workforce problems, union targets and labor movements within or outside the company. It is defined as . The decision that Amazon violated various labor laws in a labor law dispute in Canada brought the company’s approach to union activities back to the agenda.
IT SCORES THE POSSIBILITY OF UNIONIZATION
Atlas classifies the likelihood of union organizing and work stoppages by scoring warehouse workers between 100 and 900. According to the program, a lower score means a higher risk of unionization for the company. The system also divides warehouses into five categories: The first category covers facilities where labor action is expected in the near future, and the fifth category covers warehouses where there is no immediate risk. According to the documents, the BHX4 facilities near Coventry and the EMA4 sites in Sutton Coldfield in England are identified in the highest risk group. According to internal company correspondence, 14 warehouses in the USA and Canada are also in the same category.
COMPLAINTS AND STRIKES ARE BEING EXAMINED
The system evaluates hundreds of data points, including employees’ Reddit posts and comments on the company’s internal communications platform Voice of the Associate, according to documents reviewed by Computer Weekly. Worker turnover, wages, safety incidents, absenteeism, complaints to management and previous strikes are also included in the calculation. The program also identifies common words and recurring complaints in posts. It was revealed that in manager trainings, expressions such as “living wage, seniority, justified justification and collective demands” were explained as signs of union activity. Signing a union card, mass protests and work stoppages are recorded in the system as high risk.
GREAT REACTION FROM UNIONS
Britain’s GMB Union demanded an investigation from the government, considering the practice a major threat to workers’ right to organise. Union official Rachel Fagan stressed that employees have the right to work without fear of excessive surveillance. Digital rights organization Foxglove, on the other hand, reminded the public of the legal fight against the QR code application, in which Amazon tried to oppress workers. It was revealed that the company used a risk map measuring the possibility of unionization in Whole Foods stores in 2020. Amazon claims that Atlas does not track individual employees, but that data is collected at the workplace level. The company also states that the system is no longer used under the name Atlas, but does not disclose its new name.
