[ad_1]
- Amazon has denied in a Twitter row with a lawmaker that its warehouse workers urinate in bottles.
- Rep. Mark Pocan had used this anecdote to counter Amazon’s claim that it was a “progressive workplace”.
- Democratic lawmakers criticized Amazon over the past month for its anti-union efforts.
- See more stories on the Insider business page.
Amazon would really like Democratic lawmakers to forget about the stories about its warehouse workers peeing bottles amid allegations of anti-union tactics.
The retail giant told one of its critics, Democratic Representative Mark Pocan, on Twitter Wednesday: “You don’t really believe in the pee in the bottles thing, do you? If that were true, no one would work for us. The truth is, we have over a million amazing employees in the world who take pride in what they do, and enjoy good wages and healthcare from day one. “
Pocan had earlier tweeted: “Paying workers $ 15 / hr doesn’t make you a ‘progressive workplace’ when you unionize and have workers urinate in water bottles.
Tensions between Amazon and some Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, run high as Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama vote on whether to unionize.
The reference to warehouse workers peeing bottles out of desperation comes from a claim made by British author James Bloodworth in 2018 after going undercover at an Amazon warehouse. He told Insider at the time that he came across a bottle of urine on a warehouse shelf and that workers were reprimanded for taking bathroom breaks.
Drivers from Amazon-affiliated courier companies also told Insider that some workers urinate in bottles to save time on the road.
Dave Clark, Amazon’s chief consumer officer, said on Wednesday that the company is “the Bernie Sanders of employers” but that “we are in fact providing a progressive workplace for our constituents.”
Sanders is expected to visit Amazon’s warehouse in Alabama on Friday to meet with workers during the union vote.
“If you want to hear about $ 15 an hour and health care, Senator Sanders will speak downtown,” Clark added. “But if you want to make at least $ 15 an hour and have good health care, Amazon is recruiting.”
Read more: Asian Amazon employee group calls for ‘explicit’ support after Atlanta spa shootings, while executives remain mostly silent – read full email here
Amazon called on lawmakers to push other employers to provide better benefits.
“We hope you can adopt policies that will inspire other employers to offer what we already do,” the firm tweeted.
Amazon, which raised its minimum wage to $ 15 in 2018 following pressure from Sanders, recently pushed lawmakers to raise the minimum wage nationwide.
Amazon pushed workers to vote against unionization
Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer have until Monday to vote on creating what would be the company’s first union.
Amazon has vigorously opposed this, telling employees that unions are not worth the money billed in dues and that the company is already providing enough benefits to workers. The company placed anti-union ads on Twitch, reportedly posted anti-union messages in warehouse washrooms, and pushed the National Labor Relations Board to demand in-person votes.
Some Democratic lawmakers, on the other hand, have spoken out in favor of unionization.
Without naming Amazon, President Joe Biden said in a video released by Bloomberg that “the choice to join a union is up to the workers.”
“There should be no intimidation, no coercion, no threat, no anti-union propaganda,” he added.
Sanders has been much more open in his criticism of Amazon’s anti-union campaign.
“Bezos, you’re worth $ 182 billion,” Sanders said of Amazon’s CEO during a Senate Budget Committee hearing on March 17. “You are the richest person in the world. Why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers? Bessemer, Alabama, from joining a union?”
In an Insider survey of Amazon employees nationwide, around 40% said they wanted to be represented by a union.
[ad_2]
Source link