Bernie Sanders launches investigation into working conditions at Amazon
Senator seeks information about ‘systematically underreported’ injury rates and turnover at US’s second-largest employer
Edward Helmore, Guardian US
Tue 20 Jun 2023 13.19 EDT
Bernie Sanders has launched an investigation into Amazon that will focus on working conditions inside the warehouses of the online marketplace, which is also the nation’s second-largest employer.
In a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, the 81-year-old US senator from Vermont and chair of the influential Senate committee on health, education, labor and pension (Help) demanded information about “systematically underreported” injury rates, turnover, productivity targets, and adherence to federal and state safety guidelines at the e-commerce giant.
Sanders’s letter, which was obtained by the Washington Post, described conditions at Amazon’s warehouses as “uniquely dangerous” and pointed to a report that found the company’s serious injury rate in 2021 was double the warehouse industry average in 2021.
“Amazon is one of the most valuable companies in the world, worth $1.3tn and its founder, Jeff Bezos, is one of the richest men in the world worth nearly $150bn,” Sanders wrote in the letter. “Amazon should be one of the safest places in America to work, not one of the most dangerous.”
Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly acknowledged that the company had “received chairman Sanders’s letter this evening and are in the early stages of reviewing it”, adding that the senator had an open invitation to tour one of the company’s warehouses.
Sanders has previously hit out at working conditions and pay at Amazon. In 2018, the company said it would raise its base hourly pay rate to $15, or roughly double the national minimum wage. Then CEO Jeff Bezos said the company had “listened to our critics”.
The initiation of an investigation into workplace health and safety practices at Amazon comes amid a vigorous opposition against unionization efforts by company employees and data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that Amazon warehouse jobs can be more dangerous than at comparable companies.
Over the past year, Amazon has opposed union organizing campaigns, resisted charges of unfair labor practices filed by workers and spent over $14.2m on anti-union consultants in 2022.
“It’s one of the companies that really talks about a big game about how good they treat their workers, and yet, when you actually talk to workers, it’s the total opposite,” Aliss Lugo, an organizer in Georgia with United for Respect at Amazon, told the Guardian in April.
Sanders has previously written a letter to Starbucks founder and former CEO Howard Schultz in which he accused the coffee company of refusing to bargain a contract with workers who voted to unionize.
“Over the past 18 months, Starbucks has waged the most aggressive and illegal union-busting campaign in the modern history of our country,” Sanders stormed at a Help committee hearing in March.
In an interview with the Post, Sanders said it was “an absolute possibility” that Jassy or founder Jeff Bezos could be called to testify at a similar hearing, as Schultz had done.
“Amazon sets an example for the rest of the country,” Sanders said. “What Amazon does, their attitude, their lack of respect for workers permeates the American corporate world.”
Sanders told the Post he was “appreciative” of Amazon’s decision to raise its starting wage but maintained he was “extremely upset by their vehement anti-union behavior” and workplace safety record.
Steve Kelly, the Amazon spokesperson, said the company has recorded a 23% reduction in injuries since 2019 and had invested more than $1bn into safety initiatives, projects and programs in the last four years.
“We’ll continue investing and inventing in this area because nothing is more important than our employees’ safety,” Kelly added, and he said that critics of the company had spliced the data “to suit their narrative”.
Final: Amazon Union Wins 2654-2131-on Staten Island, NY in Historic 1st
[and, No! this is not an April Fool’s joke! the joke is on jeff bezos!]
By Mike Elk, Payday Report
April 1, 2022
Today, the NLRB announced that the independent Amazon Labor Union in Staten Island has won an election to represent Amazon workers at its warehouse.Workers voted for the union by a margin of 2,654-2,131.
Chris Smalls, fired from Amazon almost two years ago to the day, just popped champagne outside the NLRB offices where he and his peers won one of the greatest labor victories in a generation. “To the first Amazon union in history,” he said.
The Staten Island union election is a historic victory. It marks the first time an Amazon warehouse has been unionized and it will likely inspire more unionizing efforts.
The effort was led most incredibly by an independent union formed by rank and file workers and without the support of a major union. Workers formed the union on their own after a group of 60 workers went on a wildcat strike in March of 2020, resulting in the union’s president Christian Smalls being fired.
No one in the labor establishment saw the victory at Amazon on Staten Island coming and no one saw 170 Starbucks store unionizing. What else could happen this year that no one has predicted?
This victory could inspire more rank and file organizing efforts elsewhere. For years, activists have been told that it’s impossible to organize Amazon, but now workers have achieved the impossible.
With so much organizing, Payday is creating a special fund to go out and cover union organizing in wake of the union victory at Amazon.
Our special organizing fund will be used for travel costs, and in some instances when I can’t travel because of long Covid issues, we may use these funds to hire a freelancer.
Over the past six years, Payday has had a big impact on the way workers are covered with 2021 being a record for us. Last year, we were there on the ground in Bessemer, Alabama when the union drive was defeated and our work was widely cited by publications like the New Yorker and ProPublica.
Our work covering the strike wave has had a huge impact and we think our coverage of this Amazon victory will similarly have a huge impact.
Last year, The Washington Post cited our work tracking strikes in a front-page cover story. The New York Times described us as a publication with “new energy.” PBS American Portrait profiled our work tracking the strike wave, and Esquire described our work as “invaluable.”
We are excited once again to cover the exciting organizing that will likely happen in the wake of the victory at Amazon, but need your support.
Donate Today to Help Us Cover This Incredible Moment Following the Amazon Victory
Payday Report 1117 E 8th Street Chattanooga, TN 37403 USA
Subject: TAKE ACTION: Amazon MUST value their workers
Levin Leads Colleagues in Letter to Amazon to Cease Union-busting Tactics
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Andy Levin, member of the House Education & Labor Committee, led 50 colleagues in a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to express their support for the workers who seek to organize a union with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
The lawmakers write: “This is an opportunity for your company to chart a new course and break with your history of disempowering workers. From using so-called 'flex' workers to avoid paying full benefits to your employees, to failing to provide complete data on COVID-19 spread in the workplace, to spying on employees seeking to organize a union, Amazon has a clear pattern of denying workers dignity on the job. During this campaign in Alabama, you have attempted to coerce your employees out of exercising their voices with misleading text messages and anti-union propaganda and force in-person voting during a pandemic that has resulted in the deaths of nearly 500,000 Americans.”
The letter is signed by Representatives Marcy Kaptur; Rosa L. DeLauro; Sanford D. Bishop, Jr; Nydia M. Velazquez; James P. McGovern; Bill Pascrell, Jr.; John B. Larson; Jan Schakowsky; Adam B. Schiff; Tim Ryan; Brian Higgins; Joe Courtney; Peter Welch; Paul Tonko; Judy Chu; John Garamendi; David N. Cicilline; Terri A. Sewell; Matt Cartwright; Daniel T. Kildee; Alan S. Lowenthal; Grace Meng; Mark Pocan; Mark Takano; Katherine M. Clark; Donald Norcross; Mark Desaulnier; Debbie Dingell; Bonnie Watson Coleman; Dwight Evans; Pramila Jayapal; Ro Khanna; Thomas R. Suozzi; Jimmy Gomez; Susan Wild; Jason Crow; Veronica Escobar; Sylvia R. Garcia; Jesús G. “Chuy” García; Jared F. Golden; Joe Neguse; Ilhan Omar; Katie Porter; Haley M. Stevens; Rashida Tlaib; Jennifer Wexton; Jamaal Bowman; Cori Bush; Marie Newman; and Nikema Williams.
Read the full text of the letter below:
Dear Mr. Bezos:
We write regarding the upcoming National Labor Relations Board election in Bessemer, Alabama, and to express our support for Amazon workers who seek to organize a union with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). We urge Amazon to take this opportunity to recognize the true value of your workers to your company’s success, and to treat your employees as the critical asset they are, not as a threat to be neutralized or a cost to be minimized.
Amazon’s profits have soared by 70 percent over the last year thanks in significant part to the hard work of your employees. They have put in long hours and risked their own health during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet increased demand, and they deserve to share in the success they have made possible. Your employees have the right to join together to bargain collectively for a voice in their workplace, and to vote to establish their rights to negotiate. They also deserve to receive the compensation, benefits, and respect that reflect their true value to the company.
In a recent Executive Order, President Biden wrote that, “It is the policy of the United States to encourage union organizing and collective bargaining.” The expansion of collective bargaining can be a net benefit to workers and management. Workers who belong to unions earn higher wages, have more paid time off, and negotiate improved health care coverage, which can strengthen their families and communities and help the company with improved morale and reduced turnover, recruitment, training and other costs. The workers in Alabama are also focused on advancing racial equity. Given the historic challenges our nation faces right now, these kinds of improvements are needed across the economy.
This is an opportunity for your company to chart a new course and break with your history of disempowering workers. From using so-called “flex” workers to avoid paying full benefits, to failing to provide complete data on COVID-19 spread in the workplace, to spying on employees seeking to organize a union, Amazon has demonstrated a clear pattern of denying workers’ dignity on the job. During this campaign in Alabama, you have attempted to coerce your employees out of exercising their voices with misleading text messages and anti-union propaganda. Your effort to force in-person voting in the middle of a pandemic hotspot is particularly offensive, given that you made your fortune by getting customers to abandon in-person shopping by convincing them it was safe and effective to shop online.
The upcoming election in Bessemer, Alabama is an opportunity for a reset. We ask that you stop these strong-arm tactics immediately and allow your employees freely to exercise their right to organize a union. We will be paying close attention to the way Amazon conducts itself during this vote and call on Amazon to ensure an election for its workers in Alabama that honors the dignity of work.
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Bessemer, Alabama, community rallies for Amazon workers’ union
Jake Lindahl February 7, 2021
ALABAMA WAREHOUSE WORKERS PREPARE TO FACE DOWN AMAZON IN UNION VOTE
An Amazon warehouse in Alabama could become the first to unionize in the US
By Josh Dzieza@joshdzieza Feb 8, 2021 The Verge
Garden of Hope
In the shadow of Amazon, resistance takes root in San Bernardino
By Yvette Cabrera on Jan 13, 2021 The Grist
The Public Health Crisis Hidden in Amazon Warehouses
Human Impact Partners January, 2021
We partnered with Warehouse Worker Resource Center to develop a research brief and two factsheets on the physical and mental health impacts that Amazon’s inhumane quota and tracking systems have on warehouse workers and delivery drivers.
Amazon workers and activism groups are staging Black Friday protests around the world, while the company tries to placate workers with $300 holiday bonuses
Isobel Asher Hamilton, Nov 27, 2020
Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama file for union recognition
November 30, 2020 People’s World BY MARK GRUENBERG
BESSEMER, Ala.—Exploited Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Ala., have gone beyond walkouts on Black Friday. They filed for union recognition there with the National Labor Relations Board.
Amazon’s Massive Chicago-Area Expansion Was Fueled By $741 Million From Taxpayers
The online retail giant’s 36 new warehouses have brought thousands of jobs. Most of the taxpayer assistance comes from Black communities. (WBEZ, Oct. 26, 2020)
Reps. Tlaib and Dingell confronted by police before finding 'unsafe conditions' at Amazon warehouse in Romulus
U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Debbie Dingell were in for a surprise when they visited an Amazon fulfillment center in Romulus to investigate complaints about unsafe work conditions amid the coronavirus. Although the company invited them and knew about their visit, the Democratic congresswomen said Amazon called the police on them shortly after they arrived Friday evening. (Metro Times, Sept. 15, 2020) See also: Guards call police on Dingell, Tlaib at Amazon facility; spokeswoman calls move embarrassing
Congresswomen Tlaib, Dingell Statement on Visit to Amazon’s DTW1 Fulfillment Center in Romulus
Concerns about worker safety at Amazon facilities remain after visit sheds light on conditions (Rashida Tlaib, Sept. 14, 2020)
Prime Gouging - How Amazon Raised Prices to Profit from the Pandemic
Amazon set prices of products during the COVID-19 pandemic to levels that would be considered violations of price gouging laws in many states and has misled the public, law enforcement, and policymakers about price increases during the pandemic
Numerous examples of price increases were found on essential products on Amazon.com, some as much as 1,000% over the expected price. Amazon publicly blamed so-called third-party sellers for price increases while continuing to allow third-party sellers to increase their prices.
The facts in this report demonstrate the need for a federal price gouging law, and for Amazon to reform pricing and product listing practices. (Public Citizen, Sept. 9, 2020) See also:
Krystal Ball: Amazon's Union Busting Spies REVEALED
Krystal Ball details allegations of harassment and coercion by Amazon of its employees. (10 minute DocuVideo - Sept 2, 2020)
Amazon Is Hiring an Intelligence Analyst to Track 'Labor Organizing Threats'
Amazon is looking to hire two people who can focus on keeping tabs on labor activists within the company. (Vice article - Sept. 1, 2020)
Amazon leaves city warehouse in ‘deplorable condition,’ lawsuit claims
The retail giant wanted to lease a Southeast Side warehouse for a regional distribution center, but backed away because of renovation costs, a federal lawsuit says. (WZZM Grand Rapids, June 8, 2020)
Amazon Workers Strike, Power & The Battle For Safety Against the Virus With Worker Chris Smalls
Amazon workers are fighting for health and safety protection against the conronavirus Covid-19. Amazon worker Chris Smalls from New York talks about his work and why he became an organizer of a strike. He also discusses the failure of OSHA, the CDC and Health Department to protect workers and how he was retaliated against by Amazon and Jeff Bezos including a slander campaign calling him "not smart or articulate."
He was terminated on March 30, 2020 after his effort to force Amazon to protect the workers from infection from Covid-19. (18 min video, Labor Video Project, April 13, 2020) See also:
Bezo's Amazon, Health & Safety, OSHA & Collusion: Fired Amazon Worker Jason Stolarik Speaks Out
What It’s Like to Be Boxed In By Amazon Warehouses
As COVID-19 puts online shopping into overdrive, workers and warehouse communities are demanding stronger environmental health protections and increased corporate responsibility. (Earth Justice, April 2, 2020)
AMAZON’S DISPOSABLE WORKERS: HIGH INJURY AND TURNOVER RATES AT FULFILLMENT CENTERS IN CALIFORNIA
AMAZON RELIES ON AN EXTREME HIGH-CHURN MODEL, CONTINUALLY REPLACING WORKERS IN ORDER TO SUSTAIN DANGEROUS AND GRUELING WORK PACE DEMANDS Policy & Data Brief March 06, 2020
Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos (full film) | FRONTLINE
What’s in store for Detroit, should the City Council approve the deal between Mayor Mike Duggan and the two developers that will lease 78 acres of the Fairgrounds site to Amazon for a mega-warehouse, Hillwood Enterprises and the Sterling Group? Check out this revealing and riveting 2 hour PBS Frontline documentary. Worth the watch! (Feb. 18, 2020)
‘I'm not a robot’: Amazon workers condemn unsafe, grueling conditions at warehouse
Employees under pressure to work faster call on retail giant to improve conditions – and take their complaints seriously Michael Sainato 5 Feb 2020 The Guardian
Your Cyber Monday shopping is polluting this small town
Lawsuit and airport protest showcase the dark side of the e-commerce boom
By Patrick Sisson Updated Dec 2, 2019, Vox Media, LLC.
‘BEAT THE MACHINE’: AMAZON WAREHOUSE WORKERS STRIKE TO PROTEST INHUMANE CONDITIONS
The company uses a severe efficiency metric called ‘the rate’ to surveil employees’ productivity, so workers in Minneapolis walked on Prime Day
By Josh Dzieza@joshdzieza Jul 16, 2019, Photography by Ackerman + Gruber for The Verge
Inside the hellish workday of an Amazon warehouse employee
By Eric Spitznagel New York Post July 13, 2019
How Amazon Undermines Jobs, Wages, and Working Conditions
As Amazon expands and takes over more of the economy, it’s driving many alarming trends affecting working people: fewer reliable jobs, more temporary work arrangements, declining wages, and high-stress conditions. When shoppers interact with Amazon, they see an innovator. Yet behind the scenes, across the corporation’s vast network of fulfillment facilities, Amazon relies on a regressive labor model designed to maximize its power and profits no matter the cost to our communities.
For more information see ILSR’s report, Amazon’s Stranglehold: How the Company’s Tightening Grip Is Stifling Competition, Eroding Jobs, and Threatening Communities, at www.ilsr.org/amazon-stranglehold
What Amazon Does to Poor Cities
The debate over Amazon’s HQ2 obscures the company’s rapid expansion of warehouses in low-income areas. (The Atlantic, Feb. 1, 2018)