80 abandoned Amazon packages were discovered by police in a wooded area. They were reportedly left by the real-life Grinch – a disgruntled delivery man who later admitted to dumping them out of stress. The packages were consequently returned to Amazon with no criminal charges pursued.
Police in Lakeville, Massachusetts, USA, discovered abandoned goods early Sunday morning (December 22) unattended on the side of the road in a wooded area, the Lakeville Police Department announced on Monday (December 23).
Highlights
- 80 Amazon packages were found dumped in the woods by a stressed delivery driver.
- The driver admitted to abandoning the packages.
- Police returned all packages to Amazon, and didn't charge the driver.
At approximately 2 am, police officer Shawn Robert was on routine patrol when he noticed items unattended in the area.
80 abandoned Amazon packages were discovered by police in a wooded area
Image credits: Joshua Brown/Pexels
Upon further investigation, Robert determined there were three large totes full of Amazon packages that were spread out several feet into the woods.
“I am proud of the way our Lakeville Police officers handled and investigated this matter," Perkins said.
An Amazon driver visited the Lakeville Police Department on Monday and reported that they left the packages on the side of the road at about 7 p.m. on Saturday (December 21) because they were stressed, law enforcement revealed.
Image credits: Getty Images/Unsplash
The driver reportedly planned to report the incident to their manager as Perkins said: “At this time, we are not seeking criminal charges and are considering this a human resources matter for Amazon.”
Lakeville Police have already contacted the local Amazon distribution center and returned the packages to Amazon; they have also not sought any criminal charges.
The holiday season can be a stressful time, especially for those working in delivery, as evidenced by Thursday (December 19)'s Amazon worker walkouts and picketing at warehouses in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco, and Skokie, Illinois.
They were reportedly left by the real-life Grinch – a disgruntled delivery man who later admitted to dumping them out of stress
Image credits: Lakeville Police Department
Amazon workers at seven facilities across the US went on strike Thursday, organized by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to pressure the company into negotiating a labor agreement.
The walkouts, which include picketing in locations like New York City's Queens and Staten Island, were organized in response to Amazon ignoring a union-imposed deadline.
Moreover, the Teamsters said the workers were striking because Amazon didn't pay attention to a deadline they set for a new work deal on December 15, CBS News reported on Thursday.
Image credits: Lakeville Police Department
The Teamsters, representing nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, claimed the strike was the largest against the company in US history, with workers in multiple states—including California, Illinois, and Georgia—joining in solidarity.
"Amazon is pushing its workers closer to the picket line by failing to show them the respect they have earned," Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien said in a statement.
He added: "If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon's insatiable greed."
The packages were consequently returned to Amazon with no criminal charges pursued
“We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it.”
Meanwhile, Amazon reportedly said the delivery drivers, which the Teamsters have organized for more than a year, aren't its employees.
Image credits: NBC News
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement: "For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public — claiming that they represent 'thousands of Amazon employees and drivers.'
“They don't, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative.”
Police in Lakeville, Massachusetts, USA, discovered abandoned goods early Sunday morning (December 22)
Image credits: Freepik
She continued: "The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union.”
Amazon has a market cap or net worth of $2.41 trillion as of Tuesday (December 24). Its market cap has increased by 58.09% in one year, according to Stock Analysis.
Yet, Amazon has been criticized for perpetuating economic inequality. According to Oxfam, the company has contributed to a system that undermines fair pay and workplace equality, benefiting from low wages while executives earn millions.
Image credits: Erik Mclean/Pexels
Amazon pays a minimum wage of just $15 an hour. Given the surging cost-of-living crises in recent years, experts at Living Wage for US estimate the living wage in the US is $22.20 an hour.
According to the US Department of the Treasury, lack of labor market competition means that workers generally earn 20 percent less than they otherwise would.
“Perhaps most detrimentally, though, the companies’ outsized control empowers them to depress average wages, creating a disastrous reality for the American worker at a time when many already struggle to get by,” Irit Tamir, Director of Oxfam America's Private Sector Department, said.
"Amazon expects their employees to be robots," a reader commented
