Amazon revives anti-theft metal detectors, promising safer workplaces

Remember going through airport security? Get ready for something similar at Amazon.

The online retail giant is bringing back metal detectors for its warehouse workers. All 750,000 of them in the U. S. That’s right. Back to the future.

But wait, there’s more.

Amazon also wants employees to register their phones. Why? So security knows which phones belong to whom.

Why Now?

Think of it as a security upgrade. An Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg that they’re “always working to make [their] facilities more safe and secure. ” For both employees, and the companies that trust Amazon to store their stuff.

This isn’t exactly new. Before the pandemic, metal detectors were the norm. Then, things changed.

Now? Back to metal detectors.

Phone Registration: How it Works

Curious about the phone thing? Here’s the deal:

• Employees share the last six digits of their phone’s serial number.
• In return, they get a sticker for their phone.
• Simple, right?

A Blast From the Past

Metal detectors at Amazon aren’t without history. Back in 2014, workers sued over the screenings. They wanted back wages for time spent waiting in line. Some claimed they waited up to 25 minutes!

The Supreme Court weighed in. Their decision? Workers weren’t entitled to back pay for that time.

Pandemic Shift

Before Covid, Amazon didn’t allow phones on the warehouse floor. Lockers or cars were the phone’s home. But the pandemic changed that. Workers needed access to real-time health info.

The policy relaxed. For a while.

Amazon’s Scale

Amazon’s huge. They operate over 100 warehouses in the U. S. Some are million-square-foot behemoths.

Statista says Amazon’s the second-largest company globally, after Walmart. They have 1. 5 million employees worldwide. That’s a lot of people going through metal detectors.

What’s Next?

Amazon’s rolling this out slowly. Starting with test warehouses. Then, expanding across the U. S.

Will this make warehouses safer? Will employees push back? Time will tell.