Amazon begins hiring to fill 800 positions in Salem

Jonathan Bach
Statesman Journal

Amazon on Friday kicked off a hiring spree for more than 800 positions at its Salem packing and shipping warehouse.

The Seattle e-commerce giant is taking a staggered approach to fill its earlier promised target of about 1,000 jobs at the approximately 1-million-square-foot Salem outpost.

The warehouse, 4775 Depot Court SE, opens in August. Workers can expect to pack and ship larger products including sports equipment, gardening tools and patio furniture. 

The Amazon fulfillment center in Salem on July 9, 2019. The 1-million-square-foot packing and shipping center will open in August with about 1,000 employees.

Amazon has adopted a $15 hourly minimum wage. Oregon's minimum wage in the Salem area rose to $11.25 on July 1 and will increase to $13.50 in 2022 under state legislation enacted in 2016.

The company offers employee benefits such as up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave. Candidates for the Salem jobs have to be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or equivalent.

Applicants can go online at www.amazon.com/salemjobs or text SALEMNOW to 77088.

During a recent tour of the warehouse, rows of massive shelves can be seen towering toward the ceiling.

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Once the warehouse hums to life, forklift-like machines operated by workers will zip around the facility, placing and plucking large products from the shelves. The packing department will ready products to ship out. And during downtime, employees will share break room computers.

Although the company touts its pay and benefits as competitive, the company has come under fire recently for working conditions.

In Portland, workers complained about excessive heat and an overly loud warning siren at the warehouse there, according to OPB.

At a warehouse in Shakopee, Minnesota, Amazon workers staged a protest Monday to raise awareness of what they say are unfair working conditions. A group of tech workers in Seattle, called Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, is supporting the strike. Amazon said roughly 15 workers participated in the event outside of the Shakopee fulfillment center.

The Amazon fulfillment center in Salem on July 9, 2019. The 1-million-square-foot packing and shipping center will open in August with about 1,000 employees.

A company spokesperson issued the following response:

"The fact is Amazon offers already what this outside organization is asking for. We provide great employment opportunities with excellent pay – ranging from $15-$18.50 an hour in the Portland region – and full-time employees receive industry-leading benefits including comprehensive healthcare, up to 20 weeks parental leave, paid education, promotional opportunities, and more. We encourage anyone to compare our pay, benefits, and workplace to other retailers and major employers in the Portland metro and across the country.

"Regarding the small protest that occurred on Wednesday at the Amazon delivery station, roughly 10 associates participated in the event outside of the facility. It was obvious to the more than 600 employees that work at this facility (as part of the 2,000+ workforce in the greater Portland region) that an outside organization used Prime Day to raise its own visibility, conjured misinformation and a few associate voices to work in their favor, and relied on political rhetoric to fuel media attention. The fact is that Amazon provides a safe, quality work environment in which associates are the heart and soul of the customer experience, and Wednesday’s event shows that our associates know that to be true."

In Salem, opening the new warehouse further broadens Amazon’s reach inside Oregon. Three Amazon fulfillment centers, including Salem, will eventually employ about 3,500 throughout the state.

Customer demand in the area is driving the growth, said company spokeswoman Eileen Hards. The warehouse will serve much of the Portland metro area and other parts of Oregon, she said.

“Amazon’s growing logistics network in Oregon is providing accessible job opportunities,” said Nathan Buehler, spokesperson for Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency. “The fast-growing back-office and logistics sector is a great compliment to our diverse industry mix in Oregon.

"In addition to providing jobs that don’t require 4-year degrees, it’s driving indirect economic impacts for regional businesses in these communities.”

Taxpayers are helping foot the bill for Amazon's Salem location. When plans for the Salem warehouse were unveiled in 2017, economic development officials noted the site would be eligible for upwards of $3.7 million in tax incentives over three years.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.