#Amazon to spend $500 million in one-time employee bonuses

Amazon said it’s shelling out $500 million in one-time worker bonuses this month as pressure continues to mount on the online shopping giant to do more to protect and pay workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The bonuses will pay between $150 for part-time employees at its warehouses and Whole Foods stores and up to $3,000 for owners of its contracted delivery service operations, the company said in a blog post.

Full-time Whole Foods employees can expect $500 bumps, while front-line Amazon “market leaders” should see $1,000.

“Our front-line operations teams have been on an incredible journey over the last few months, and we want to show our appreciation with a special one-time Thank You bonus,” senior vice president Dave Clark said in a blog post.

Amazon’s warehouse workers in Germany are striking this week, claiming the company is not doing enough to protect its employees from COVID-19.

Germany is Amazon’s second-largest market outside the US and labor unions there have been leading aggressive campaigns to increase pay for Amazon’s hourly workers there.