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Amazon has not only subjected their warehouse employees to abusive working conditions (//vny!://www.mcall.com/news/local/amazon/mc-allentown-amazon-complaints-20110917-story.html#page=1), but now they're also making them sign an insanely broad "non-compete agreement" as a condition of employment (//vny!://www.theverge.com/2015/3/26/8280309/amazon-warehouse-jobs-exclusive-noncompete-contracts).
Here's an excerpt from the agreement:
"During employment and for 18 months after the Separation Date, Employee will not, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee's own behalf or on behalf of any other entity (for example, as an employee, agent, partner, or consultant), engage in or support the development, manufacture, marketing, or sale of any product or service that competes or is intended to compete with any product or service sold, offered, or otherwise provided by Amazon (or intended to be sold, offered, or otherwise provided by Amazon in the future)."
WTF? So some disposable, hourly employee has to predict what Amazon might offer within the next year and a half, and avoid working for any company that might do something similar as Amazon?
This whole thing is utterly unenforceable, but the idea that they're telling you who you can't work for in such broad terms is unreal.
For example, notice the part that says "any product or service". That's just ridiculously broad.
Have you seen the array of things Amazon sells? Basically, they sell everything.
You can buy bubblegum (//vny!://www.amazon.com/s/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Abubble+gum&keywords=bubble+gum&ie=UTF8&qid=1427491512) and CNC Milling Machines (//vny!://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=CNC+Milling+Machine&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ACNC+Milling+Machine). You can buy music, movies, and Michael Kors handbags. They sell plastic bags (//vny!://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=plastic%20bags&sprefix=plastic+bags%2Caps), violins (//vny!://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=violins&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aviolins), and pizza ovens (//vny!://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pizza+oven&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Apizza+oven). They sell Ortho Fusion Chem (//vny!://www.amazon.com/1137775-Analyzer-Clinical-Diagnostic--6801375/dp/B00EN5QFHK/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1427491643&sr=1-1&keywords=medical+diagnostic) Analyzer devices ($459,000.00).
They sell tires and desks and phones and lawn food and cameras and vibrators and Tupperware and yachting caps and screwdrivers and radios and batteries and books and foam rollers and dog cages and swim vests and perfume and vacuum cleaners and toilet paper...and on and on and on.
Is there any kind of business you could actually go into that Amazon couldn't claim was somehow infringing? It's insane.
