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O.C.-based drivers sue Amazon Prime Now, Scoobeez for denying them wages, benefits

Oct. 27, 2015 Updated 6:22 p.m.

By HANNAH MADANS / STAFF WRITER

Just weeks after the delivery service Amazon Prime Now debuted in the region, four drivers who worked out of an Irvine distribution center have filed a lawsuit claiming they were wrongly denied benefits and wages by being classified as independent contractors.

Three of the four plaintiffs live in Orange County and include Taree Truong and Khaleed Alkojak, both of Garden Grove, and Olga Georgieva of Huntington Beach. Cynthia Miller of Victorville is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles.

?Amazon?s mission to deliver ?Now? at no additional cost to its customers is being funded by the delivery drivers,? said attorney Beth Ross of Leonard Carder LLP in a statement. ?Unlike the drones that Amazon hopes to eventually replace them with, these drivers are human beings with rent to pay and families to feed.?

Ross has asked the court to certify the case as a class action lawsuit.

Prime Now delivers select Amazon products in under two hours to cities in Orange and Los Angeles counties. The e-commerce giant uses Scoobeez, a delivery provider that employees hundreds of independent drivers who work out of Amazon warehouses, including the Irvine location. Scoobeez also was named in the class action lawsuit.

In the suit, the drivers ? who no longer work for Scoobeez ? contend that because they did not get to pick which packages to deliver and could not refuse to deliver packages, they were employees and not independent contractors. Employees must be provided with overtime pay, lunch breaks and worker?s compensation, benefits not afforded to independent contractors.

The lawsuit contends Amazon Prime Now drivers earn $11 per hour and make deliveries using their own vehicles while paying for gas and other car-related expenses out of pocket.

?By the time drivers pay for required expenses like gas, maintenance and car insurance they are barely getting by. This is a clear abuse of the independent contractor designation,? Ross said.

Drivers also work regular shifts and wear Amazon Prime Now uniforms.

?When I was hired, I was told that I would be paid $11 an hour plus tips and $2.50 per delivery,? said lead plaintiff Taree Truong in a statement. ?In September, I had to sign a new contract that eliminated the delivery fee. But I never see an accounting of what tips I receive, because everything is paid through an app. I have no way of knowing whether or not I have been paid what I am due.?

Truong worked as a full-time delivery driver from Sept. 10 to Oct. 5, according to court documents.

The Amazon-Scoobeez lawsuit comes on the heels of two similar court cases. Ross also sued FedEx Ground over a similar independent contractor dispute and settled the case for $227 million. Uber drivers also sued, claiming they have been misclassified as contractors.

Scoobeez and Amazon Prime Now did not immediately return requests for comment.

Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
 
WTTCHMN said:
?When I was hired, I was told that I would be paid $11 an hour plus tips and $2.50 per delivery,? said lead plaintiff

We're suppose to tip them?

Do we have to tip our mailman, FedEx and UPS driver too?

 
lnc said:
WTTCHMN said:
?When I was hired, I was told that I would be paid $11 an hour plus tips and $2.50 per delivery,? said lead plaintiff

We're suppose to tip them?

Do we have to tip our mailman, FedEx and UPS driver too?
My friend placed an Amazon Now order.  Amazon asked for a tip when the order was placed.  My friend tipped $5.  I have no idea what the tip etiquette is for that.  Anyhow, as I understand it, it's something you do when placing the order.
 
riznick said:
lnc said:
WTTCHMN said:
?When I was hired, I was told that I would be paid $11 an hour plus tips and $2.50 per delivery,? said lead plaintiff

We're suppose to tip them?

Do we have to tip our mailman, FedEx and UPS driver too?
My friend placed an Amazon Now order.  Amazon asked for a tip when the order was placed.  My friend tipped $5.  I have no idea what the tip etiquette is for that.  Anyhow, as I understand it, it's something you do when placing the order.

That's a hard sell. Prime members expect free shipping and no tipping.
 
Does anyone know what Prime Pantry means? This is the closest thread I could locate to ask. I have an Amazon Prime subscription. The other day, I made a purchase. Since I picked No-Rush shipping, it gave me a $5.99 Prime Pantry credit. I don't really get how to use it. Is Prime Pantry not a separate subscription of its own? Do I simply find anything labeled "Prime Pantry" and add to to my cart? Why are not all "pantry" items marked "Prime Pantry"? I'm so confused.  :(
 
SoCal said:
bones said:

I Googled before asking. Too many unanswered questions.

It's basically amazon's version of (non-perishable) grocery service.  Also, I think they introduced it to allow some "add on" items to ship via pantry.  I haven't found a use for it yet.... but I can see it being appealing for people who live in major cities.  Or people who live in rural areas without a great selection of brands/items.  Or people who send care packages to other people.

Yea, only items marked prime pantry qualify for the pantry box.  You fill it up and it ships for $5.99.  So basically, the credit waives the shipping fee.  You can price compare and may be able to fill up a box with stuff at good prices.  I think I tried once and failed.  IMO, there's better options out there with Jet, Boxed, Soap, Amazon (non pantry), etc.
 
Amazon cs is awesome. I put in and expired coupon that obviously didn't work. They emailed me and credited my account.
 
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