Amazon jobs are a ‘scam’ with no financial security, AOC says

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Friday that Amazon jobs were a “scam” because they did not create financial security for workers.

“A ‘job’ that leaves you homeless and on food stamps is not a job. It’s a scam,” she said on twitter.

Ocasio-Cortez referred to a Bloomberg News report detailing the number of Amazon warehouse workers struggling to pay their bills, with as many as 4,000 on food stamps.

The report says Amazon has turned logistics work from a professional career option into “entry level” work for a lot. While Amazon’s workforce has skyrocketed during the pandemic, security conditions in its warehouses have failed to keep pace, according to the report.

“This is why ‘Amazon jobs’ are not and we should instead focus our public investments + incentives on small businesses, public infrastructure and worker co-ops that actually support a dignified life,” Ocasio-Cortez said. on Twitter.

Ralph D. Freso / Reuters

“Bloomberg’s conclusion is false – it violates over 50 years of economic thought and suspends the law of supply and demand,” an Amazon representative told Bloomberg.

The daily life of the Amazon warehouse workforce has long been a focal point on Capitol Hill. Earlier this month, a group of lawmakers led by Senator Elizabeth Warren called for greater transparency in warehouse injuries.

“We are now at the start of another dangerous season for Amazon warehouse workers, and the company’s responses to repeated requests from Congress have only exacerbated our concern over Amazon’s refusal to value. worker safety above corporate profits, ”the group said in a joint statement.

Amazon did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

The U.S. National Labor Relations Board said this week it found merit in allegations that Gerald Bryson, who worked at Amazon’s fulfillment center on Staten Island, was fired in retaliation for having protested against the health and safety policies in the warehouse.

Ocasio-Cortez has targeted Amazon on several occasions, often questioning the amount of corporate tax it pays. Corporate taxes could help pay for schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure, she has often said.

—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 29, 2020

In 2019, she questioned why Amazon paid no federal income taxes for over $ 11 billion in profits.

“Why should companies that don’t contribute anything to the pot be able to take billions from the public?” she said at the time on Twitter.