Amazon driver quits job on Twitter, leaves package-filled van and blames it on back-breaking work: 'Not worth it'
A 22-year-old Amazon driver went viral after tweeting that he walked off from his job and abandoned his delivery truck at a gas station in a Detroit neighborhood.
Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Derick Lancaster said he "didn't think it would get over 10 million interactions." "I thought it was going to get more like 50 'likes' and 20 retweets — and call it a day," he added. Lancaster's tweet struck a chord with many people as he revealed he "quit amazon."
"I quit amazon f**k that driving shit I left the van on 12 mile and Southfield y’all can have that bi**h and it’s full of gas wit the keys in the IGNITION," Derick Lancaster tweeted on Tuesday, June 30. The truck driver told the outlet he had received a flurry of Twitter messages from folks saying he had inspired them to quit as well. However, he added that was the last thing he'd expected and definitely not the reason he took to Twitter.
"This does not reflect the high standards we have for delivery partners," Amazon said in an email response to the Free Press. "We are taking this matter seriously, and have investigated the matter and are taking appropriate action."
Lancaster listed a number of grievances that led to his resignation. "He said he was late getting to his sister's recent graduation party because he was working, and he felt constant pressure to deliver more packages — and to do it faster," the Free Press reported. After leaving the van, Lancaster called a Lyft and went home. He reportedly came to his senses hours later and rushed to the gas station to check if someone from Amazon had arrived to pick up the van. Lancaster then went live on Twitter to expand on why his job and pressure on mental health wasn't worth $15.50 an hour.
Amazon workers across the country have called out sick in protest and organized rallies since the pandemic began to increase awareness about their apparently unsafe and harsh working conditions. Meanwhile, delivery companies have struggled to keep pace as package volumes and pandemic fears increased in recent months.
Employees of a metro Detroit Amazon fulfillment center walked off the job in April after three people tested positive for Covid-19. They demanded precautionary measures including that the Romulus warehouse be shut down for a thorough cleaning and disinfection.
This weekend, a number of videos making the rounds on social media showed how protesters in DC placed a model guillotine in front of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Washington complex, with one flyer for the event reading, “End the abuse and profiteering. Abolish the police, the prisons, and Amazon.”
Lancaster explained why he walked off his Amazon job in a 13-minute video that he posted on June 29. "He said he was waking up at 9 and 9.15 am and working until 9 or 10, after delivering 200 packages. And then he'd go to sleep, wake up and do it again," according to the Free Press. In a separate video sent to USA Today, Lancaster said he regretted posting about his departure on social media because it could potentially hurt his future career prospects. However, he did not regret quitting his job.