Amazon driver abandons delivery van, says he quits in viral tweet
'I just couldn't keep working 13 hours a day for that company,' worker says
A Detroit-area Amazon delivery driver on Monday said he abandoned a van full of packages at a gas station in a tweet that has since gone viral.
Derick Lancaster, known as @_lilderick on Twitter, said in a Monday tweet that he "quit" his job at Amazon and shared the location of his abandoned delivery van "full of gas wit the keys in the IGNITION," followed by another tweet sharing a photo of the parked van.
"Mentally, my health -- I just couldn't keep working 13 hours a day for that company," Lancaster told FOX Business.
His tweet went viral and now has hundreds of thousands of likes and comments from other users expressing concerns about delayed packages while others cheered Lancaster for the move.
Tweet with profanity censored. (FOX Business)
In a video posted later on Monday, Lancaster says he's not "about to keep waking up at 9 [a.m.]" and getting home at 10 [p.m.]," then doing it all over again the next day. Lancaster also called out Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in the video for unfair treatment, saying he could make "$15 an hour cutting grass."
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He told FOX Business that after his shift Monday, he had plans to help out another delivery driver complete his work, adding that drivers deliver anywhere from 150 to 200 packages or more every day.
Lancaster tweeted about being "unemployed" on Tuesday but said Amazon has not contacted him via phone or email since his tweets went viral.
FOX Business has reached out to Amazon for comment.
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Lancaster said he received "thousands" of comments and messages from other Amazon employees who expressed gratitude that he spoke up.
"There were some people saying they wish they have the courage to quit their job, but they have to stay for financial reasons," he said. "Some were saying they quit their job the next morning after they saw my video."
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 207.89 | +2.15 | +1.05% |
He didn't express much concern over those who were worried about their delayed packages, saying there is no correlation between his decision to leave his van and people commenting on his tweets about delayed packages. One man even threatened to sue, but lawyers have also been offering their support to Lancaster.
Lancaster said he took to social media to express his frustration with the situation because he wanted to vent, saying he never meant for the tweet to go viral, but a lot of people who saw his posts appeared to relate.
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An Amazon delivery driver job listing at the company's Hazel Park, Michigan, location says the job pays $15 per hour and employees can expect to work 10-hour shifts for up to five days a week. The listing says Amazon offers competitive compensation, employee benefits, community interaction and states that "every day is fun and different."
