Senator Bernie Sanders announced on Wednesday that he would be going to Alabama to meet with Amazon warehouse workers. Amazon employees are currently deciding on whether to unionize even though Amazon is trying to dissuade them.
Dave Clark, Amazon’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations responded, “I often say we are the Bernie Sanders of employers, but that’s not quite right because we actually deliver a progressive workplace,” Clark tweeted.”If you want to hear about $15 an hour and health care, Senator Sanders will be speaking downtown. But if you would like to make at least $15 an hour and have good health care, Amazon is hiring.”
Clark’s tweet backfired. Sanders confirmed his visit by saying, “All I want to know is why the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, is spending millions trying to prevent workers from organizing a union so they can negotiate for better wages, benefits and working conditions,”. Clark responded by saying Vermont’s minimum wage is $11.75 and Amazon pays higher with $15 per hour. However, we believe that is not logical. Amazon’s minimum wage was increased because of Stop BEZOS Act which was a legislation introduced by Bernie. Vermont has a Republican governor and Sanders is not even the state legislator. He does not determine the minimum wage in his home state.
Users have been sharing many articles about how Amazon exploits its workers. One user tweeted, “Hey Dave Clark, remember that time you lied to millions of Americans about people dying of COVID at Amazon?” A Fortune article was shared by many users that showcased that Clark is called a Sniper because he hides in the warehouses and waits to identity inefficient workers he could fire.
A response by a user that mentioned Amazon warehouse workers are made to pee in trash cans and bottles took this Twitter war to another level. These rumours have been around for a while but a U.S. Staffer told Business Insider that workers who are found peeing in bottles are anyway fired. Rep. Mark Pocan tweeted, “Paying workers $15/hr doesn’t make you a ‘progressive workplace’ when you union-bust & make workers urinate in water bottles,”
Pocan was responded by a Verified Amazon account, “You don’t really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you?” “if that were true,” nobody would work for Amazon. Rep. Mondaire Jones replied: “‘If that were true, nobody would work for us.’ Imagine if our economy made it that easy. That’s why we need unions.”
The National Labor Relations Board will tally the results of the mail-in election to determine whether a union will be formed on March 30. Sanders supported Amazon warehouse workers on Thursday by tweeting, “In the case of Amazon, let’s be clear. You’re dealing with an enormously profitable corporation owned by the wealthiest guy in America, Jeff Bezos,” “They can afford to pay their workers living wages and provide decent health benefits.”
