Amazon Begins Hiring for New Dallas Fulfillment Center
Amazon has started to hire for a new fulfillment center just south of Interstate 30 that’s been in the works for two years.
The facility at 1301 Chalk Hill Road is Amazon’s first new site to open in Texas since the coronavirus pandemic began. The city of Dallas provided $2 million in economic development incentives tied to the 1,500 jobs the center will provide that pay $15 an hour with immediate medical insurance and 401(k) matches. The 855,000-square-foot fulfillment center next to Oak Cliff in Arcadia Park will open May 31, but hiring will take about eight weeks. The online retailer is changing some of its application process so that more of the steps can be done from home. The first two weeks of hiring will take place at the NYLO Hotel in Las Colinas, Amazon said.
Amazon has drawn protesters in several cities as workers worry about the coronavirus spreading. Amazon said it has spent $800 million during the pandemic on new cleaning processes and personal protective equipment to try to keep employees safe. Employees have said outbreaks continue to happen.
Last month, CEO Jeff Bezos made a surprise visit to an Amazon fulfillment center in Coppell, known as FTW6. The fulfillment center had one of the first confirmed cases for Amazon in Texas.
Attorneys general from 13 states asked Amazon on Tuesday to disclose the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths among its workers. Texas is not participating, but people who say they are Amazon employees have reported anonymously to The Dallas Morning News that others working locally in Amazon facilities have tested positive since Bezos’ April 8 visit.
The state officials are also asking Amazon to extend the special time-off benefits it added during the pandemic. The attorneys general are from Connecticut; Delaware; Washington, D.C.; Illinois; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; New Mexico; New York; Oregon; Pennsylvania; and Washington.
Many retailers that were deemed essential, including Kroger, Walmart, Albertsons and Target, have been paying store employees bonuses on top of higher hourly wages. The United Food and Commercial Workers union has asked employers to continue the extra pay.
Amazon said it plans to extend hazard pay for warehouse workers through the end of May, but in June it plans to return to normal hourly wages. Warehouse and delivery workers’ pay has been increased by $2 an hour since March 16. “We know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis, and we welcome anyone out of work to join us at Amazon until their past employer can bring them back,” Amazon said in a statement.
During interview appointments for the new Dallas jobs, candidates may be required to have a temperature check and will be required to wear a face mask provided by Amazon. And applicants are asked not to attend in-person meetings if they are living with a someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus or been told to self-quarantine...
